FF8 Next Generation: Advent of the Necromancer
by CheezWhiz Sensei
Summary: After Ultimecia's defeat, a whole generation later, the world has evolved into a different place. However, sadness, loneliness and sorrow remain the same, and feed the unspeakable. The story of the Orphanage Gang and their children. Adult situations, strong language.
1. BOOK I: Chronicles of Past and Present

**Disclaimer: All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix**

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**Advent of the Necromancer**

**BOOK I**

**CHRONICLES OF PAST AND PRESENT  
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_She said: What is history?__  
And He said: History is an Angel__  
Being blown backwards into the future__  
He said: History is a pile of Debris__  
And the Angel wants to go back and fix things__  
To repair the things that have been broken__  
But there is a storm blowing from Paradise__  
And the storm keeps blowing the Angel__  
Backwards into the Future._  
–Laurie Anderson–

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Strong Language. Some chapters may contain very graphic descriptions of adult and/or violent situations.

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**CHARACTER GLOSSARY**

**WARNING: **At this point the character glossary contains spoilers to the story itself, therefore it you intend to read Necromancer and just happen to be taking a peek here...

** NOTE: This glossary contains spoilers to the game itself.**

**The New Generation**

**Cadet Eleanor Kristy Almasy**  
Daughter of Balamb-Esthar Commander Seifer Almasy and Headmistress Quistis Trepe

**SeeD Gabriel Almasy (Rank A)**  
Son of Balamb-Esthar Garden Commander Seifer Almasy and Headmistress Quistis Trepe. Unlike his father before him, Gabriel doesn't have a posse but is always seen in the company of one or all of the following: Rei Kumo, Foehn Leonhart and Xander Kinneas. The Garden population has dubbed them the Fab-Four (but not to their face)

**Cadet Eleazar Dincht**  
Second son of Zell Dincht –Commander of SeeD Forces Stationed in Balamb City, and Zuleima Alkhash-ka. A very gifted Scimitar bladesman, a weapon wielded by those of the warrior class in his mother's home.

**Melinda and Zoraida Dincht (known as Melly and Zelly)**  
Identical twins, youngest children of Zell Dincht–Commander of SeeD Forces Stationed in Balamb City, and Zuleima Alkhash-ka. Spoiled rotten by their father. They are also known as the "Meteor Twins" because they are so mischievous and full of energy.

**SeeD Zoltan Dincht (Rank 7)**  
Eldest son of Zell Dincht–Commander of SeeD Forces Stationed in Balamb City, and Zuleima Alkhash-ka. He has only been a SeeD for a month.

**SeeD Ahnyang Hideyoshi (Rank 23)**  
Only daughter of Assistant Headmaster Xu Hideyoshi

**Name: SeeD Alexander Kinneas-Tilmitt (Rank 25) known as "Xander"**  
Eldest son of Trabia Garden Commander Selphie Tilmitt and Headmaster Irvine Kinneas. A member of the Fab-Four.

**Name: SeeD Sylvie Kinneas-Tilmitt (Rank 17)**  
Second daughter of Trabia Garden Commander Selphie Tilmitt and Headmaster Irvine Kinneas. Daddy's girl and Rei Kumo's sweetheart…

**Name: Cadet Twyla Kinneas-Tilmitt**  
Youngest child of Trabia Garden Commander Selphie Tilmitt and Headmaster Irvine Kinneas. Daddy's girl and renowned prankster.

**Name: Rei Kumo (Rank 22)**  
Son of Sub-Commander Fujin Naosu and Reijin Kumo, the Head of Tri-Garden Disciplinary Committee. Rei is also Meijin Kumo's twin brother and the younger sibling. A member of the Fab-Four and Sylvie Kinneas-Tilmitt's sweetheart.

**Name: SeeD Meijin Kumo (Rank 22)**  
Daughter of Sub-Commander Fujin Naosu and Reijin Kumo, Head of Tri-Garden Disciplinary Committee. Meijin is also Rei Kumo's twin sister and the older sibling.

**Name: SeeD Foehn Julius Leonhart (Rank 19)**  
Eldest son of Balamb-Esthar Commander Squall Leonhart and Doctor Rinoa Heartilly. To his father's disgust, Foehn loves the ladies and is the greatest flirt in all of Tri-Garden. One of Gabriel Almasy's best friends.

**Name: Gustav Leonhart**  
Youngest son of Balamb-Esthar Commander Squall Leonhart and Doctor Rinoa Heartilly

**Name: Tyrrell Loire Leonhart**  
Second son of Balamb-Esthar Commander Squall Leonhart and Doctor Rinoa Heartilly

**Name: SeeD Mitchell Tomaguchi, the "Mole" (Rank 5)**  
A very shy young man who can be quite forgetful sometimes, unless it's got something to do with a machine (any machine). He has a bit of a crush on "big sis" Ahnyang, and greatly admires Gabriel. He's the youngest member of the self-denominated Tech Squad with headquarters in Trabia Garden.

**The First Generation**

**Zuleima Alkhash-ka, Envoy of the Kashkabald Desert People**  
Zell Dincht met her while on a mission in Kashkabald Desert. He led the team that was sent out by the then Headmaster Cid to search for a secret underground cave that was rumoured to hold the talisman that would invoke the fabled Djinn, a GF of air and fire. Having underestimated the harshness of the desert, the SeeD team got lost and were rescued by Zuleima's people

**Seifer Almasy, Balamb-Esthar Garden Co-Commander**  
Seifer has a very arrogant and cocky personality, it's no wonder that he doesn't mind and even likes being the centre of attention. Blunt to the point of rudeness, he doesn't hesitate in voicing his dissent and disapproval if something displeases him or things are not up to his standards. Many people fear to cross him because he can prove to be a ruthless adversary in any arena; however, once you earn his respect Seifer is a very powerful and loyal ally. Just keep your eyes away from his partner and stay away from his daughter Eleanor, the apple of his eye.

**SeeD Zell Dincht, Sub-Commander of Balamb City SeeD Complement**  
Zell is a martial arts master, considered by many to be the best in the World in weaponless fighting skills. In his youth he was known for his great passion for the hot dogs sold in Balamb Garden's cafeteria. Before meeting his wife, Zuleima, Zell's abundant energy, wild temper and reactionary style used to land him in a lot of trouble. Even though he helped defeat Ultimecia, the people in his hometown of Balamb City still regarded him as a somewhat informal and poorly behaved person. Even now people wonder how Zell managed to win over someone such as Zuleima, a greatly respected person in the Balamb community.

**Dr. Rinoa Heartilly, M.D., Head of Balamb's Garden Medical Wing**  
Unlike her partner, Rinoa is a highly emotional person and tends to go with her gut feeling. In her youth, this used to land her in a lot of trouble, but now this trait has been tempered by experience and has become her greatest asset. With her kind-hearted and bubbly personality, Rinoa is very popular person in Garden. Anyone needing a bit of attention can run to the infirmary and talk to Dr. Heart, as she's known throughout B-Garden. Rinoa has been instrumental in creating a bridge/buffer between Laguna and Squall, whose father-son relationship is rather precarious but at least it exists. With respect to her own father, Rinoa has reconciled herself with General Caraway to the point that she takes her children to pay him a visit once a year. Her second son is named after the General.

**SeeD Irvine Kinneas, Trabia Garden Headmaster**  
Irvine is an expert marksman and sniper who has created special ammunition to attack enemies. In his youth he was quite a ladies' man. he used to put on airs and attempt to convince others, specially girls, that he as an expert sniper, he was a misunderstood loner. In spite of the flippant, easy going exterior he presents to the world, Irvine is a very sensitive and observant person, capable of very deep feelings. His devotion to his partner Selphie Tilmitt is a testament to that. Although he's very proud of Xander's prowess with the shotgun, he spoils his girls to the point that even Selphie has to intervene sometimes.

**SeeD Squall Leonhart, Balamb-Esthar Garden Co-Commander**  
Squall is an introverted person, not prone to sudden outbursts of anything. A rather reserved and self-effacing personality, people outside his circle of family and friends confuse his stoic demeanour with coldness. A perception that's fine for him. In truth, he's a bit of a worrywart, but keeps this facet of his personality locked up within himself. The only person who truly knows this of him is his wife, Rinoa. That's the level of trust he has in her that he can unwind and confess his worries to her. In spite of the passage of time, and the fact that all his children love Laguna, his relationship with his father is somewhat precarious. A change rather to the better, since in his younger days he would not even acknowledge Laguna except officially as Commander of Garden to President of a country.

**SeeD Selphie Tilmitt, Trabia Garden Commander**  
Selphie grew up in Trabia Garden but transferred to Balamb Garden to finish her SeeD studies. Once there she quickly became by acclamation the head of the Balamb Garden Festival Committee and was responsible for organizing some of the best social events in the history of B-Garden and later on Tri-Garden (after Trabia, Balamb and Esthar decided to incorporate). Her daughter Sylvie (also by acclamation) takes care of this duty now for all three Gardens, and is trying to draft Galbadia Garden too! Selphie is an extremely outgoing person with an enormous amount of enthusiasm, cheerfulness and energy. Many people mistake her light-hearted personality with shallowness, but in reality, Selphie is an extremely shrewd and sharp-witted person, not to mention extremely persistent. Many people thinking that Trabia Garden's Commander is a pushover have found out the hard way –Not to judge a book by its cover…

**SeeD Quistis Trepe, Balamb-Esthar Garden Headmistress**  
A renowned beauty across the planet, Quistis was a child prodigy in her youth for becoming a SeeD at age 15 and Garden Instructor at the tender age of 17, a record unbroken even today. Although she has grown used to it, she dislikes being the centre of attention and has never been very comfortable with her incredible looks, which she blames for drawing too much unnecessary attention upon herself. In her youth, she always sought to blanket her beauty under a studious and scholarly façade by using glasses and covering as much of herself as possible, but that has never deterred her fan club, the 'Trepies'. As a matter of fact the membership base of that club grew when her image was projected worldwide from Timber during the Second Sorceress War. Sometimes people blinded by her beauty tend to forget that she's an extremely competent individual, not to mention a formidable adversary.

**Supporting Cast**

**Lord Dolletia or His Excellency the Duke of Dollet**  
He's the undisputed ruler of Dollet and has successfully made Dollet's Parliament ratify his granddaughter's right to succession. He witnessed the rise and fall of Vincent Deling as well as the reign and ultimate defeat of the various sorceresses (Adel, Edea, Adel's revival, Ultimecia).

**Lucretia Alessandra Ferrara D'Este, Duchess of Mantua and Heiress to the Dukedom of Dollet**  
Called fondly the Lady Alessa by the people of Dollet, she's a nice but very spoiled beauty. She's determined to get Gabriel Almasy at all costs.

**SeeD Nida Edo, Sub-Commander Balamb Garden**  
Balamb Garden's first pilot when it became mobile during the Second Sorceress War. He became SeeD alongside Squall, Zell and Selphie. When B-Garden became stationary again, Nida was assigned as Ragnarok's main pilot in order to free up Selphie Tilmitt's and Zell Dincht's time for other more pressing duties. By the time the Tri-Garden Agreement was in place, Nida was already assisting Balamb-Esthar Garden's Commanders by being their chief mission coordinator and dispatcher.

**Charles Vicente Giambattista, Count of Hasberry**  
He's the only child and heir to Duke of Dollet's most powerful rival, the Count of Lavallee. Before Gabriel's appearance on the scene, he was the most favoured suitor to win the duchess's hand in marriage.

**SeeD Xu Hideyoshi, Balamb-Esthar Garden Assistant Headmistress**  
Xu is a very opinionated lady who tells it as it is. She's very fond of Quistis, whom she regards as a little sister, but she and Seifer are always crossing swords because their personalities are too similar and there can only be one alpha. None is willing to concede so they live in a kind of truce-like situation in deference to Quistis, who can't stand their constant bickering. People are surprised when they realize how petite and fragile looking Xu really is, because she exudes authority and power. She's an extremely efficient individual and between her and Quistis, they have been able to create a very formidable SeeD Programme of Study. Only 20 percent of Cadets can make it through the gruelling programme they designed and pass the written test necessary to take the SeeD Field Exam. Of those taking the Field Exam, only 25 percent make it to SeeD. In spite of this, most governments and agencies around the planet are willing to take all those unsuccessful cadets into their employ, because just being able to become a SeeD Cadet is a rare honour.

**Cadet Jalek Kenobi**  
The eldest son from a very important Centran family. His father sits as a member of the CGC (the Centran Governing Council). He was the best student of Centra's top elite military academy. At the age of 14, wanting to become SeeD, he applied for entry to B-Garden and after passing all the requisite exams got accepted.

**SeeD Fujin Naosu, Sub-Commander Balamb Garden and SeeD Raijin Kumo, Head of Disciplinary Tri-Garden Committee**  
Fujin and Raijin are former members of Seifer Almasy's posse, and they are still his extremely loyal good friends. Seifer owes his life to their loyalty and devotion. They never gave up on him, and even after the others had gone through time compression, they returned to look for their fallen comrade, only to find him pale and stone cold lying unmoving on the crystallized floor of Lunatic Pandora. Not knowing where to take him, they brought him back to Balamb Garden where Dr. Kadowaki took care of him. In the present, Fujin assists the Garden's Commanders by ranking and keeping track of each SeeD's specialty. She usually works in synch with Nida for the smooth progression of all Garden missions. Raijin is the Head of Tri-Garden Disciplinary Committee, an organization that has evolved from it's previous mandate as Garden's proctors to become a judiciary body that regulates SeeD conduct inside and outside Tri-Garden.

**SeeD Lank and SeeD Port, Chief System Administrators of the Tri-Garden Network and Heads of the Tech Support Teaching Division**  
Two of Selphie Tilmitt's dear friends, they survived the missile attack on Trabia Garden during the Second Sorceress War. Being both technical whizzes they proved to be a great asset in Selphie's effort to reconstruct Trabia Garden. It's mainly thanks to them that T-Garden is now the acknowledged hub of technological research and development of the Tri-Garden Organization.

**Ellone Loire Piet**  
The adopted daughter of Estharian President Laguna Loire. Ellone is the oldest member of the 'orphanage gang', all the other kids look up to her and call her Sis. Although she has never been labelled a sorceress, Ellone has the ability to send a person's consciousness back in time, and watch past events unfold; however, she's quite powerless to influence the flow of history. She met Johannes Piet while she was keeping Uncle Laguna company at the Space Station during the time when Rinoa released Sorceress Adel from her confinement in space.

**SeeD Susana Mendoza, Head Librarian of Balamb Garden**  
Known in her teenage years as the Little Library Girl. Susana used to have a huge crush on Zell Dincht and tried to get him to fall in love with her through his stomach by constantly feeding him his favourite food: "hot-dogs".

**Cadet Samantha Mignonne**  
A student in B-Garden who is in hot pursuit of Tyrrell Leonhart. She even tried to learn using the gunblade to get his attention but gave up on the difficult weapon after two attempts. Her specialty is in handling staves. Petite and fragile looking, she's very pretty with long curly strawberry blond hair and grey eyes: Quite a popular figure with the opposite sex in B-Garden. She's the only daughter of a very rich merchant family in Eldbeak City, the second largest city in Balamb, located on the Peninsula of the same name.

**Dr. Johannes Piet, Director of Esthar's Aerospace and Aeronautic Research Facility**  
Former chief of operations at the ill-fated Lunar Base that had contained Sorceress Adel for seventeen years. A child prodigy, he graduated from Esthar's top University with summa cum laude attached to his degree and by the time he was only 23 he had already earned a Ph.D. on Aeronautical Engineering. Before even receiving his degree, Piet had been immediately snapped-up by Esthar's Space Agency to work at their Lunar Base. When he met Ellone, he had already been working at the Lunar Base for over five years. Piet has also been instrumental in the design of Esthar Garden.

**Minor Characters**

(by order of appearance)

Melissa, Windhill resident—works in flower shop

Nadine, Windhill resident—?

Mrs. Ross, Windhill resident—flower shop owner

Ma Dunniggan, Windhill resident—owner and cook of Windhill Inn

Peter Olsen, Windhill resident—ex-Galbadian Soldier rumoured to have been crushed by a Lefty mutation

Mrs. Olsen, Windhill resident—Peter Olsen's young widow

Frederic Jenssen—Fervent admirer of Quistis, was probably the first Trepie outside the Garden organization

Wembley O'Donner—Contact in Pistille, Centra continent / Quistis's Journal

Conrad Knipper—the first disappearance / Quistis's Journal

Patricia Barofsky—the second disappearance / Quistis's Journal

Sasha Tavares—the third disappearance / Quistis's Journal

Galen Tierce—the fourth disappearance / Quistis's Journal


	2. Multiplicity

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

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**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 1:** Multiplicity**

**—_Balamb Garden Cafeteria_—**

Gabriel Almasy—I knew the moment he walked into the cafeteria that all eyes would be on him. He is an imposing figure. Tall, and so handsome it hurts the eye. I can see that group of fangirls seated two tables across from me giggling as they ogle him. No matter where he goes, he's always the centre of attention. Look at the way he walks, like a prince, as if the whole universe owed him something. Arrogant bastard. Knows he's hot. —_Humph_—If he didn't look like her, I'd have a hard time believing he's her son.

Headmistress Quistis Trepe is considered one of the most beautiful women in the planet. But she doesn't let that praise go to her head. _So_ unlike her son. He should be taking lessons in humility from her. Such a down-to-earth lady, not a drop on vanity in her. Hyne knows she has good reason to be conceited, but she's not. Her "Trepies" fanclub has chapters all over!

But her son...He's joining the long line-up now with the usual look of boredom on his face. At least in the cafeteria even the mighty _Lord_ Almasy must wait for his turn, just like the rest of us mere mortals. Oh, well, there it goes again! Some awestruck fan is offering to jump the line. What can I be _THINKING_—_Smirk_—just _WHO_ am I talking about? As if that didn't happen all the damn time. I feel like telling them, _'Don't bother, that jerk won__'t take better notice of you!'_

Huh, what? That's new! He's smiling at the cadet? Hyne! The man is _HOT_, no denying it! But looks are just that, looks. There's still his personality to deal with...and someone, _please_, scoop that poor fan off the floor...

Am I the only one who thinks he's one big-headed-egotistical maniac? He doesn't like to have his orders questioned, nor does he like listening to anyone's opinion. Granted, he's not stupid—far from it. I've experienced firsthand why he deserves the reputation of being a first-rate tactician and strategist. However, that doesn't give him the right to be so inflexible! And does he have to be such an asshole about it? I know that the decision I made at the time did not follow Seed protocol to the letter, but I also know that there is a "discretionary interpretation" codicil amending the code. Does it matter? The man is stubborn as a bull. He demands and expects blind obedience!

It's obvious that in his Field Exam he must have received real _low_ marks for ATTITUDE. He sure loves to issue orders, but does he even know how to follow them? As to how he achieved an A-Rank when he's only nineteen? I would like to say nepotism, unfortunately that's not possible. The existence of the _INTER-GARDEN SEED RANKING AGREEMENT_ makes sure of that family connections have nothing to do with Seed rankings.

After the Sorceress Wars, Robert J. Martine—the reinstated Galbadian Garden Commander and Headmaster—pushed the Council to pass this item of Garden legislation. IGSRA, as everyone calls it, is a law enacted to insure that the children of top level Seed pass their examination and obtain their Seed ranking in a fair levelling field with all other candidates. It ensures that no one can question the abilities of anyone who has attained the title of Seed.

After all, let's not forget who that bastard's father happens to be...

The craziest thing is, I _like_ Commander Almasy and his brash assertiveness! In any case, it's a known fact that Almasy Jr. had to undergo his SeeD evaluation in Galbadia Garden, and _that _includes the Field Exam. It's also no great secret that Headmaster Martine is not in the best of terms with Commander Almasy, so I'm sure that in HIS case, that bastard passed his SeeD examinations, and achieved his SeeD ranking _in spite_ of family connections.

Oh well, enough about _him_ already! I can only hope that I won't be going on any more missions with Mr. BH (as in _Big Headed_)_—Sigh—_At least not for a while. I am a reconnaissance and surveillance specialist, not the most popular designation in Garden, so there aren't many of us around. My kind works strictly behind the lines. Mostly prepping the ops for a smoother outcome, or as backup staff in covert missions. In other words: lots of hard work behind scenes, and therefore no glory. Nevertheless, I like what I do and I'm very good at it.

That's how I ended up working under Almasy's command...

—_Argh!_—Why am I even thinking about the bastard? It's just as well that we are in Lunar Cry Season. All government resources are re-allocated to protect the citizenry from a new outcrop of monsters. This mean all missions, other than the hack 'n-slash-the-monster kind, are set aside. For the more seasoned SeeD, this is easy money; for the rookie SeeD, an opportunity to earn some experience and ranking. And if nothing else, it's a great physical workout! WHAT? Aw, shit! I'm due at the training gym with Zell-sensei in less than five minutes! Better make a run for it!

~ o ~

There she goes, running as if hell were after her. What's that bitch's problem anyway? First she burns a fucking hole in my back, and then she runs away as if some kind of fiend was chasing after her! I knew she was staring at me with those disapproving eyes of hers. It really makes me want to do something to justify that look...So, when someone offered me their place in line, instead of ignoring the offer, as I usually would, I declined it with a smile. Hell! It was worth the effort when I saw a frown on that normally impassive face. Damned robot. Oh, fuck! What do I care anyway? That's just one annoying bitch...

"Hey bro'!"

Someone slaps me on the back, I turn and..."Foehn! You son-of-a-bitch, I thought you were at Esthar!"

"Yeah, well, my ol' man wanted me back to go on some missions, he's not happy with my ranking ya' know..."

Foehn Leonhart in a move reminiscent of his grandfather, the Estharian President Laguna Loire, scratches the back of his neck deep in puzzlement. Then in typical Foehn style, forgets about it, looks around the cafeteria and asks, "Where's Xander and that hulking shadow of yours, the mighty Rei? or even better, where's his lovely twin, Meijin?"

"—_Snort—_She'd wipe the floor with your ass if you tried anything. As for the other two, they were sent along with Zoltan on a mission to Windhill, to get rid of a fresh batch of monsters."

"Awww! Why didn't they wait for me? I would've gone too! The chicks around Windhill are kinda cute..."

"It's not a dating service you damned moron!"

And this guy is one of my best friends. It makes me wonder about myself sometimes. His grandfather Laguna is cool though; as kids we used to love visiting the Presidential Palace. The old guy always made it so much fun for us when we went for a visit. I've seen images of Laguna—that's how he wants us to call him—in his younger days, and I must say that Foehn looks exactly like him, maybe except around the eyes, where he looks more like Uncle Squall. That's the only family resemblance Foehn has with his old man, because the rest is 100% Laguna—_Smirk—_even personality-wise.

"...Hey! How come you're here and not there with 'em! Gabe! Are you even here, man?"

"...Huh? Oh, I just came back from a major mission myself, and was granted a break."

"Yeah, I heard about it! Must've been hard trying to stay in focus with such a cute babe hanging on to ya'!"

He even managed to say it with a huge lecherous smile on his face...Again, I have to ask myself, why am I fucking friends with this moron! Does he think I _like_ going on missions so I can make out with some stuck-up chick? Oh, hell! This is Foehn we're talking about, of course he would, because that would be _his_ reasoning! He had never really outgrown his pre-pubescent stage...

"If you think that I really wanted to fucking babysit some spoiled..."

—_Slap!—"_Aw! C'mon Gabe! Some people would die to go on that kinda mission an' with such a hot babe!"

I was slowly beginning to lose it with this idiot...

"Look you moron, maybe she was cute, but she was also a huge pain-in-the-ass!"

I was already annoyed, but then I got downright pissed when Foehn slapped my back again.

"Cute!—_Snort—_cute, he says...The heiress of the Dukedom of Dollet is not just _cute_, she's like...like amazingly pretty! Man, had I been you..."

"Leonhart, if you slap me again I swear I'm gonna cut off your damned hand!"

"Hey, Almasy...Chill! What're you having? Hamburgers look good, at least they look like they won't be..."

I did the only thing I always do, and that was to tune him out...

**—_Detention Room, Balamb Garden_—**

§Second Sorceress War: THE AFTERMATH

The decisive victory gained by a handful of SeeD at _THE BATTLE OF TIME COMPRESSION_ in Ultimecia's Castle brought an end to the _Second Sorceress War_. Following her return from time compression, _Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly_ was immediately seized and imprisoned by SeeD from Galbadia Garden under contract by the Amalgamated Townships of Windhill. They had suffered greatly under Sorceress Adel's reign, and wanted the person responsible for her release to be prosecuted. _Sorceress Edea Kramer_ and the _Sorceress's Knight Seifer Almasy_ were already under the custody of the _World's Court_. The charges against all three ranged from crimes against humanity to conspiracy to destabilize the government of Galbadia by the assassination of its leader, _Vinzer Deling_.

Their subsequent trial, and their incredible acquittal at _World's Court_ headquarters in Balamb City, made legal history. The defence team, lead by the brilliant counsel _Kiros Seagill_, claimed that the accused were under the powerful influence of _Sorceress Ultimecia_, and should therefore not be held accountable for any action performed while under her possession (For an in—depth analysis regarding this trial see_ INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE SORCERESS WARS_, Roshfall: Timber Maniacs Publishing, 21 AU). The panel of seven judges presiding over the _World's Court_ which took place in the neutral city of Balamb consisted of the Venerable _Elder of the Shumi_ Tribe, the Estharian President _Laguna Loire_, The Acting President of Galbadia _General Tyrrell Caraway_, the Mayor of F.H. _Gethin Dobe_, His Excellency the _Duke of Dollet_, Headmaster_ Robert J. Martine_ as Representative for all three Gardens, and the newly elected President of the Free Republic of Timber _Zone Alloutt_...

...

..

.

"Zzzzz..."

"Psst..."

"Zzzz..."

"Pssst...Ella!" A voice hissed.

"Mmmm...Zzzz..."

"Pssst...Psst...ELLA!" It was a yell this time.

A young blonde girl_—_she couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen years old—jumped off her seat, and dislodged her heavy textbook, making it hit the floor with a loud _thud! _and thus, disrupting the peace that reigned in the class. The culprit of this, another young girl of about the same age, giggled at her flustered friend.

From where she was presiding, the SeeD in charge of detention period looked angrily at them, only to narrow her eyes in speculation when she realized who the troublemaker was.

"Are you nuts, Twy?" Hissed Eleanor Kristy Almasy at her best friend Twyla Kinneas, "Are you trying to get me in trouble again? My mom was not very happy with me being on detention today."

"Heh, heh...You gotta admit we had fun pulling that prank on good ol' Ty..." The unrepentant Twyla whispered back.

"Yeah, well, getting a two hour detention for two miserable minutes of fun is not really my thing!" She continued with a groan, "And, as if this was not enough, mom volunteered me to baby-sit the Meteor twins!"

"Oh wow! No way!"

"Yeah, but you're coming too!"

"Me? Why?"

" 'Cause it's your fault to begin with! I pay, _you_ pay too!"

"Ok, ok...This history stuff is soooo boring! Why do we have to go over the same ol' thing over and over agai—"

"KINNEAS! ALMASY! Quiet please! Other people are trying to study!" The SeeD looked up, and glared at them menacingly.

Eleanor grimaced, and returned to her book. She just _knew _that SeeD would approach Gabriel using her as an excuse. She sighed, why didn't these people get it? Her big brother was just not interested. He wasn't exactly the shy type. _IF_ he were even remotely interested in any of them, they would be the _first_ to know. Gabe always kept his '_romantic interests_' outside Garden. The only time he'd broken that rule had resulted in a Hyne-awful incident with that girl, Trianna. _'Was she obsessed or what! She was even jealous of me!'_

She was really mad at herself for providing that SeeD with an excuse to get closer to her brother. She knew it annoyed him when they did that...Oh, well! Tooo bad! No guy had ever tried approaching _her_! —_Humph—_as if they would dare. Even when dad wasn't around, her dumbass of a big brother was, threatening anyone who would even glance her way. Sometimes it just sucked to be her!

She risked a furtive glance at Twyla. Her friend seemed to be engrossed in her suddenly interesting history text. Eleanor snorted, as if! Whatever it was, Twy was _not_ reading any of that stuff. Her eyes might be staring in that direction, but Hyne knew what kind of evil plans she would be plotting to get them both into trouble, _again_. It amazed her the amount of energy her friend spent on just trying to cook-up those crazy plans of hers! By looking at that angelic face of hers, framed by delicate wisps of auburn hair, no one, like NO ONE could even begin to imagine what a prankster Twyla Kinneas really was!

_—**Alcaud Plains, Balamb Garden**—_

A dark haired young man, gunblade securely held in its holster, and arms crossed over his chest, watched impassibly as his two young charges struggled to battle a couple of low level bite-bugs with their blades. Alert slate-blue eyes followed every move the children made. In case it was necessary to interfere. If anything were to happen to his little brother Gustav or to Eleazar, he would be getting an earful, not only from his mother but from Aunt Zuleima as well.

"Ouch!"

Tyrrell Leonhart winced mentally as he saw a bite-bug rush through Gustav's defence and sting him. _'Kid's too slow with the blades.'_ To his brother's credit, he recuperated quickly, and before the monster's poison could go into effect, he had already cast Esuna onto himself, and fired a volley of Blizzard spells onto the unsuspecting monster, completely annihilating it. Tyrrell arched a dark eyebrow. It never ceased to amaze him how strongly their mother's sorceress blood run through Gustav's veins. The kid had already mastered spells that Cadets ready for the field exam were barely able to manage.

"Yeah, baby! One down, another to go! Eleazar Dincht's my man!"

On the other hand, the Dincht kid was good with his blade. He was _really_ good. His scimitar was almost as large as he was, but the kid swung that enormous blade with the confidence of someone born a warrior. He saw the kids nod at each other. Gustav cast Sleep on the remaining bite-bug while Eleazar swung his scimitar, and sliced the monster neatly. Tyrrell allowed himself a tiny smile, he had to admit these two youngsters would be formidable opponents in the future.

"Hey Ty! What'cha think?" Two pairs of eyes stared at him eagerly, "Are we good or what?"

"Don't let it go to your head, brats." After saying that, Tyrrell turned and started to walk towards Garden. The other two looked at each other.

"It's the most he'll say," said Gustav, and shrugged his skinny shoulders, "C'mon, Ely! I'll race ya...Last one in is a wuss!"

They started to run.

* * *

To be continued…


	3. First Generation

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present **

Chapter 2:** First Generation**

**_—Capital City of Balamb—_**

"Zell! Hurry up or you'll be late!"

Zuleima Alkhash-ka Dincht tried to look stern as she berated her blonde haired husband, but failed. Zell's appetite was truly a wondrous thing! She ended up smiling fondly at him. That immense appetite of his had been the determining factor that gained him the Matriarch's approval. When he had brought her to Balamb Garden, the greenness of the landscape had enchanted her, but she had been horrified when he had shown her his _'favourite food'_ in a place that he called _'cafeteria'._ It had taken her a while, but she had finally been able to wean him out of his _'hot-dog' _phase. For this accomplishment alone, Mother Dincht had given her the highest of praise by hailing her as a _'Miracle Worker'_.

"Daddy! Hurry up...!"

"...or you'll be late, Daddy!"

Two little blonde tornadoes with flying pigtails latched onto either side of the poor man who was trying to finish up his breakfast. They each tried to best the other by trying to plant the most kisses on inflated cheeks puffed up by too much food and chewing.

_"—Grunt—Daw-d-dw-y —munch, munch—gowt-ta—munch—e-awt "_

"Ewww! Mommy! Mommy! Daddy's talking with his mouth full!"

Two identical pairs of rounded honey coloured eyes stared at him in fascination.

Zell Dincht swallowed everything in one big gulp, and pushed himself away from the table. He lifted his twin daughters to sit on each side of his lap.

"Daddies are allowed to do that, munchkins."

That earned him a censorious glare from Zuleima.

Every time he looked at the twins, he felt his chest expand. They were so beautiful. They were exact minute replicas of their mother, with the same dusky skin, the almond-shaped honey-coloured eyes, and her exact same delicate features. When Cid had sent him to lead a small team of SeeD to find the fabled Guardian Force Djinn in Kashkabald Desert, he hadn't known that he would be stumbling into an unknown civilization! They had been completely unprepared for the desert. They had greatly underestimated the harshness of the never changing landscape, and had gotten themselves completely lost. Had Zuleima's people not taken pity on them, they would've all died of dehydration and exhaustion.

"Zoraida. Melinda. Please allow your father to finish his meal, and start to get ready for school. Don't forget this afternoon teacher is taking you children fishing—"

"Yay! Fish! Fish!"

"I like to fish!"

"I bet I'll get more than you, Zelly!"

"I bet I'll get more than you, Melly!"

"I said it first!"

"No! I said it first!"

"Nah! Daddy is first!"

The two little girls let out a shriek of delight when Zell lifted them, one on each strong arm, and carried them to their room under the disapproving golden gaze of his wife.

**_—Esthar Garden—_**

"Seifer."

"...Hmm?"

"The reception is tonight."

"...Hmm?"

"Are you listening!"

"Do I have to?"

One sea green eye peered at her lazily, the other remained closed. As if the effort had been too much, the eye closed again. Quistis, who had been enjoying a quiet cuddle sitting on his lap, untangled herself from his arms to sit up, and glare at him.

"Seifer! _COMMANDER_ Almasy!"

"Why do we have to go? Call Puberty-boy over. It's daddy's littl' party..."

He wrapped his arms around her again, and pulled her back against his chest. Quistis sighed, resting her head against him, and closing her eyes. It'd been a long time since they've had anytime to themselves...Was it only last month that she'd been able to see everyone at Gabriel's birthday? Apart from attending the small gatherings to celebrate their children's birthdays, everyone was so busy! Now that some of the children were SeeD, and had to go on missions, even those celebrations had to suffer.

She lifted her head to place a light kiss on Seifer's jaw, causing him to make a small sound of contentment. All of last week, he'd been away, staying at the _Estharian Aerospace and Aeronautic Research Facility_, busy with Johan Piet in the _Sibelius Project_. She'd hardly had a break herself, with the neverending rounds of faculty meetings, and the evaluation of potential candidates for the Field Exam Simulation. _'We've both been very busy with work, but I've really missed him...'_

If she didn't have Xu helping her, she wouldn't even be here, enjoying a nice cuddle with Seifer in his office. When was the last time that they had trained together? She really hated to break the moment with, again, the same thing: work and duty, but she knew how difficult he could be sometimes with certain things...

"Remember the agreement we made with Squall and Rinoa when Esthar Garden was being built?"

He pretended not to hear, which exasperated her.

"Seif—"

Seifer tightened his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head.

"I know, baby, I know...but can we enjoy a quiet moment to ourselves just now?"

She placed a butterfly kiss on his neck, and replied, "Hmm..."

**_—Balamb Garden—_**

Squall squinted over the reports flashing on his computer screen for the ninth time, and rubbed his fingers tiredly against the bridge of his nose. Even if he shared the job with Seifer, and had the assistance of both Fujin and Nida, the administration of Balamb Garden was overwhelming. Why did they make the agreement to co-commandeer both Gardens? It used to be that the running of Esthar Garden was an easy task. To commandeer E-Garden was almost like the equivalent of taking a six-month holiday with the children (take or leave some Laguna induced stress), hence the arrangement with Seifer and Quistis, but that was a _LONG _time ago!

Certainly, E-Garden was a smaller outfit, but it had grown into such a complex research and development facility that its administration had become almost as nightmarish as B-Garden's.

Both Seifer and he were really thankful to be surrounded by such loyal, not to mention competent friends. Sub-commander Fujin Naosu made sure that all SeeD were in tip-top shape, and kept track of ranking and specialty. Sub-commander Nida, mission coordinator and dispatcher, oversaw all the details in the planning and deployment of any operations or mission. Together they made quite an impressive team. Raijin Kumo had taken over the task as Head of the Tri-Garden Disciplinary Committee with an almost Seifer-like seal, but without that firecracker's penchant for breaking Garden laws.

Has it really been more than twenty years now? He could still remember the shock he felt when his own father, President Laguna Loire of Esthar, had proposed Seifer Almasy as a possible candidate to commandeer the still to be constructed Esthar Garden. As far as he could remember, the only person who had welcomed the idea had been Matron for obvious reasons. Everyone else had been too dumbfounded. After all, Seifer's acquittal at the World Court had only been a year old, and although he had finally passed his SeeD exam, it had seemed rather crazy to make him a Garden Commander out of the blue...

In the beginning, Esthar Garden was only going to be a satellite of Balamb Garden; however, with time and the needs of the huge continent where it was housed, Esthar Garden had slowly become a stand alone Garden. It was a testament to Laguna's power of persuasion that within a month after becoming officially SeeD, Seifer was dispatched to Esthar leading a squad of nine SeeDs. Not being completely crazy, both Laguna and the Headmaster had wanted Seifer to prove himself capable of leadership in situations where fighting would not be actually needed.

Squall smirked to himself at the memory. Of course, Almasy hadn't been told what was in store for him. All he knew was that he would be leading a mission to Lunatic Pandora, as he had more than a passing familiarity with the structure. After he himself had the time to think some more about it, he had added the weight of his own support to Laguna's proposal. Maybe his motives had been evil, but it had amused him greatly to envision that firebrand rebel-rouser seated behind a desk with a mound of paperwork!

They had made a wise decision in keeping Almasy ignorant of his possible promotion as Commander of the future E-Garden. Had that hot-headed ass known of their intent for him, he would've more than likely sabotaged his own chances. He enjoyed the fighting too much to give it up in exchange for a damned glorified desk job! (Hell, he would give up this post in a second if he could!) Once the Headmaster and Laguna had been satisfied with Almasy's performance, they began phase two of their plan, and had sent an extremely reluctant Quistis to act as his aide and advisor. (Those two had been very cunning in having Matron do the asking)

He had to admit, Laguna might look goofy, but a guy that had been democratically elected over and over again to preside over the most technologically advanced nation on the planet, must be credited with some brains. Time had proven Laguna to be correct. With Seifer's intimidating presence, and his rather abrasive personality, Esthar Garden had been built in almost record time. And in spite of everyone's bad premonitions, Seifer had ended being one hell of a Commander (of course, he would eat his favourite jacket before he admitted that much to Almasy, _humph_.). At the end of every quarter, he and Seifer would meet to brief each other on the on goings of both Gardens.

It took a weight off his shoulders to share the responsibility of running Garden with a trustworthy partner. Had someone predicted that it would be like this during their mad rush to save Rinoa so many years ago, he would've run that person over with his gunblade. Of course, their relationship was far from being easy. Their personalities were too different. But it was a good relationship, and one that benefited both Gardens.

They had agreed a long time ago that they would spend a six month term on each Garden, alternating the leadership. True to form, Seifer's arrogant I-don't-take-no-for-an-answer personality got results. With Almasy things got done, or they'd be hell to pay. Anytime they needed to negotiate, Seifer would be the first envoy. He had to admit that their strange arrangement worked out pretty well. Almasy was always there to bulldoze any new changes that needed to be made, and afterward he would step-in to iron out the details.

With time, the six-month term became one year, and then two years. Also with Cid's advise, they had redefined some of the roles within the Garden system. Galbadia Garden had bailed out of the talks, but Trabia, Balamb and Esthar had gotten together and fleshed out the Tri-Garden Agreement. While respecting each Garden's idiosyncratic nature, they had agreed to institute the same SeeD ranking and evaluation procedures for all three. Each Garden would have their own Commander-in-Chief and Headmaster.

As Commanders-in-Chief of Balamb-Esthar Garden, Seifer and himself took care of the mercenary and military aspects of Garden. They also oversaw the general administration of the facility. The position of Headmaster had been redefined to better meet with their ever evolving needs. The headmaster would concentrate on the supervision and administration of all the teaching and testing of SeeD in both Esthar and Balamb Garden, but whenever needed, the headmaster would also serve as council to the Commanders.

That role had been tailored to suit Quistis, but she initially declined the offer...

Eleanor had only been a month old when they had made the proposal to Quistis. With the notable exception of Seifer, everyone had tried to persuade her to become the Headmaster of Balamb and Esthar Garden. Even after much urging, and with the promise to appoint Xu as her assistant, Quistis had absolutely refused to take on the job. Nothing anyone said, even Matron, had had any effect on her...

Squall smiled at the memory, she had only accepted thanks to Seifer's Almasy unwitting help...

...

_"I couldn't possibly take on such an important post, and take good care of my children at the same time. Being an Instructor is more than enough..."_

_"Yo, Quisty! If that Asshole can be a decent commander, I bet you'll make an even better Headmaster!" _

_Except for Seifer who just smirked at the comment, everyone else gave Zell a glare.  
_

_"—Ahem—Zell, I believe it best if you leave the others to convince Quistis." Zuleima told her husband quietly.  
_

_"Really, Quisty! This job has been hand-tailored to fit you! Ever since Squall and Seifer agreed to share the responsibility of Balamb and Esthar, you will be able to oversee both places, and Xu's there to help you..." Selphie tried to reason with her friend._

_"My Selph is right darlin', you're the best candidate for the job." Irvine added his own five gils worth.  
_

_"I'm sorry, I'm very flattered that you think that, but look at me! Gabriel is not even four yet and Eleanor is just a baby.." Quistis was adamant in her refusal._

_"You tell 'em babe, you're a mother first and foremost!" Seifer said smugly.  
_

_Quistis narrowed her eyes at her husband, "What do you mean by that?"_

_"Our children should be your first and _ONLY_ concern..." Seifer replied arrogantly._

_The rest of them remained silent as the couple's argument unfolded..._

_"Are you implying that I might not be competent enough to handle both?" She asked him with indignation._

_"I'm implying nothin'! Don't put words in my mouth!"_

_"Very well," Quistis stared at everyone present and smiled, "In that case, I accept the post."_

_"What?" Her husband shouted._

_"You heard..." Was her smug reply..._

...

..

And the rest was Garden History. Quisty proved to be an extremely proficient Headmistress. Thanks to her, admission to any Garden was highly sought after. The student population of both Balamb and Esthar Garden had doubled and their admission requirements had become more stringent, specially for those seeking to enter the upper levels. Quistis had made it mandatory that these students pass both an academic as well as a weapons test...

_RING! RING!_

"Squall, here." He looked at the clock. It was probably Rinoa calling to get him to leave the office early.

"Hi'ya, loverboy! Ready to call it a day?"

"In five minutes."

"Don't forget tonight's dinner is special, Foehnny is home."

"Yeah, I know."

"As your doctor, lemme remind you to..."

"I'll see you in five minutes, Rinoa" He interrupted her because he know that once she got started on her favourite topic there would not be stopping her.

"Oh...OK! You promised, bye."

"Bye." —_Sigh_—

**_—Trabia Garden—_**

A petite figure hummed to herself as she stared at the decorations that were in the boxes. Deep indigo eyes stared critically at the assortment of streamers, balloons and other festive material visible from the boxes. Maybe she should sort the stuff out now, so that later they would know what they had, and what they had to get...

"Syl, baby, I knew you'd be here!" A tall lanky figure wearing his signature camel coloured duster and ten gallon hat approached the girl and lightly kissed the top of her head.

"Daddy! What're you doin' here?" Identical pairs of indigo eyes stared at each other, one pair puzzled, the other smiling.

"Your mother wants ya ...Something 'bout the festival committee at Balamb..."

"Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, daddy!" Sylvie Kinneas-Tilmitt stood on tiptoes and gave her father a quick peck on the cheek, "Gotta run or mom will kill me!"

Irvine Kinneas watched his daughter's quickly retreating figure and sighed. It would be nice if she were as quick with other things not related to the Garden Festival...

* * *

To be continued…


	4. Spread Like Wildfire

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft-Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 3:** Spread Like Wildfire**

* * *

Galbadia Daily News—17.04.23 AU  
** Strange Disappearances Around TUK**  
_** On Special Assignment by **Rune Zabac_

In the past few years, the luxurious resort town of Minos has become quite a hot  
spot for fashionable newlyweds to spend their honeymoon. The lure of white  
sandy beaches, and the proximity of the GF site,_ Tomb of the Unknown King_ or  
_TUK_ as locals call it –one of Galbadia's major tourist attractions– make this  
picturesque town an irresistible place to visit.

The recently married Tamara Caitlin and Alain Fournier from Timber City were  
no different from other newlyweds. Like other couples before them, they took  
advantage of the many honeymoon special packages offered by the myriad of  
hotels and Spas that dot the area. The only difference is that when they went to  
the famous GF site, they were never seen again.

The staff at the _Grand Minos Hotel and Spa_, where the two stayed, have told  
this reporter that the young couple had left that morning to visit the site looking  
happy and eager to explore the famous ruins. They had also made reservations  
to dine that night at the hotel's famous _Sacred Seafood Restaurant_. When the  
couple did not show, reception dialed their suite to find out if they wanted to  
keep their reservation, but no one answered the call. A few days later, upon  
checkout, when no one came to pay the bill, the hotel management went up to  
the couple's room only to find their belongings in place but no couple. Upon  
further inquiry, housekeeping stated that the suite had been unoccupied since  
the couple left for the GF site.

When questioned, local authorities claimed that the young people had simply  
ran away, but provided no motives behind such drastic action. According to  
sources in Timber City, Tamara and Alain were deeply in love and their families  
and friends were very eager to see them both marry and start a family. Also,  
Tamara was an up-and-coming architect working for a prestigious design firm,  
while Alain was a very popular instructor at the Middle School where he taught.  
Why would anyone with such great prospects want to runaway?

Although we are in Lunar Cry Season–when monsters tend to multiply rapidly–  
we have learned to deal with the situation. However, rumours circulating in the  
area state that very peculiar monsters have been sighted around TUK.  
Could it be that Tamara and Alain met one of them?

* * *

Deling Times—05.05.23 AU  
**_Unusual Monsters Attack Major Tourist Attraction_  
by **_Deling Press Agency_

(DPA) In the past few weeks local authorities have received several reports of vicious  
attacks on tourists visiting the _Tomb of the Unknown King_, one of the most popular  
tourist sites around Deling City. The monsters were not the usual kind associated with  
the site, so the safety guards in place were ineffective against them. Although this is  
still unconfirmed as we go to press, there has also been at least two deaths related with  
the attacks. The Galbadia government and the local Minos Tourist Authority has kept  
the details surrounding these grave incidents hidden in secrecy for fear of damaging  
the lucrative tourist industry in the area…

* * *

Timber Herald News—05.05.23 AU  
_**Will Timber Be Next?**_  
**_By _ **_Timber Associated Press Agency_

(TAPA) Timber authorities has shown a disturbing lack of interest on the number  
of unprecedented monsters' attack at Deling City's major tourist attraction the _Tomb  
of the Unknown King._ When questioned, Leila Turner, a spokesperson for the Timber  
Security Forces has dismissed the attacks as, "Local Galbadian affairs outside the  
jurisdiction of the Free Republic of Timber." Watts Electro, the Leader of the opposition  
party, the Timber Owls, has commented that FRT's presiding government's lack of  
initiative in monster preparedness should be cause for alert.

The government has dismissed his remarks as "alarmist" and stated that "this being  
Lunar Cry season, all the necessary precautions has been taken to safeguard the people  
of FRT." Ms. Turner has also pointed out that nothing has happened at Odel Lake,  
Timber's major tourist draw during this season.

* * *

—**_Deling City, Caraway Mansion_**—

General Tyrrell Caraway, Galbadia's Minister of Interior, frowned as he read the headlines. Damn these reporters, didn't they have anything better to do? Galbadia's economy was booming, the jobless rate was the lowest it had ever been in many years, and these idiots had to report on the disappearance of some hapless tourists…

_RING! RING!_

"Caraway"

"Sir, Headmaster Martine is on the secure line."

"Put him through."

"Yes, sir! A moment, please."

As he waited for his secretary to patch Martine through, he looked out of the large bay window near his desk. Apart from a skirmish here and there with certain special interests groups, the world had lived in relative peace for at least two decades. Personally, he would like to retire soon and spend more time with his grandchildren… but... these attacks gave him a bad feeling… a very bad feeling…

_RING!_

"Caraway"

"Tyrrell we have a problem."

"So, Robert it has made the headlines…"

—**_Windhill Bluffs_**—

A tall lanky figure wearing a red bandanna around his neck and a wide-brimmed hat made of leather on his head, shot several rounds of ammo at a caterchipiller and two gigantic bite-bugs. His shorter companion finished off two of the oversized insects in a blur of motion by slashing one with his assassin blades and aiming a powerful kick at another. The third member of their team, who towered over the other two, just swung his halberd and in one fell swoop eliminated the rest of the monsters.

"Man, I kinda feel like some bug exterminator!" The one with the hat complained.

"Easy money," Replied the giant with the halberd.

"Yeah! Bring 'em on, baby!" Yelled Zoltan Dincht, the shortest of the three, as he punched the ground with his right fist, creating a small crater where his fist went.

Alexander Kinneas-Tilmitt, the one with the cowhide hat, stared at his friend with disgust clearly visible in his leaf-green eyes, _'Man, typical waste of energy'_ He gazed at the giant beside him, the mighty Rei Kumo, who sported a similar expression in his brandy coloured eyes. _'Oh well, kid's only passed his SeeD field exam last month'_…

"Let's go, this area's clean."

"What! That's it?" The whine was very audible in Zoltan's voice.

"Xander's squad leader." Rei was a man of very few words, but when he spoke people listened.

"Aw, alright. I thought mebbe we should look around some more… Hey, guys! Wait for me! …"

The other two had began walking towards the town's entrance, leaving poor Zoltan behind. He started to run after them when he felt something wrap around him and start pulling him into the earth …

"…Hey…guys! Agh…Some…thin' Aaagh…got … aaaagh me…ugh…! …" He was invaded by such an intense feeling of nausea that it made him dizzy. He tried to free himself by wiggling fiercely but ended up being squeezed tighter and tighter...

Xander and Rei had turned around at the sound of Zoltan's voice and what they saw paralysed them for a split second. Something that resembled a Lefty monster had taken hold of Zoltan, except that this version of the gigantic hand, sported a set of very vicious looking claws and it seemed to have completely surrounded Zoltan with an eerie yellowish-brown aura. The usually animated young man was staring at them with vacuous eyes, not moving at all, while the hand started to close around him slowly. Xander was the first to snap out of it.

"Rei! Get a grip! We gotta get Zol outta that thing!"

Even as he was yelling, Xander aimed his_ Bismarck_ at the monster and fired a round of very precise shots. He wanted to separate the hand from the ground. A regular Lefty would have been affected, since the ground was its source of power. Rei seemed to think likewise because he lunged at the thing swinging the blade of his halberd at the part were the hand connected to the soil. The hand was severed from the ground, but to their utter dismay, it did not seem to weaken the creature. A paralysed Zoltan was almost completely engulfed by it. If they didn't do something fast, Zoltan would be a goner!

"SHIT! Rei, try casting Esuna on Zol while I try to distract it with my gunblade!"

Without waiting for Rei's assent, Xander holstered his shotgun and drew out _Smokey_, his gunblade. Holding it with both hands, he swung the blade at the monster. The powerful slash of the weapon severed one of the claws and made the monster twitch. Seizing the opening, Rei cast Esuna and then Cure on Zol, who finally snapped out of his induced stupor and stared horrified at himself and where he was. He felt a tingling sensation as a reddish light surrounded him, and without thinking, the training he received from the Matriarch kicked in, _'Djinn, Guardian of the Kashkabald People…'_

For the first time in more than a millennium, the legendary Guardian Force Djinn answered the summons, and came to protect the blood of his chosen ones. Rei and Xander could only stare as Zoltan dissolved into a smokeless crimson flame that completely enveloped the gigantic clawed hand inside a fiery whirlwind that seem to consume the monster. Snapping out of their stupor, Rei and Xander suddenly realized that with Zoltan in a gaseous form they could easily hack the monster without hurting Zoltan. With a battle cry Halberd and Gunblade slashed at the creature and quickly finished it.

Once the battle was over, with the same fluidity as it formed, the crimson flame coalesced into humanoid form and solidified back into Zoltan, who promptly collapsed onto the ground. Rei and Xander looked at each other and at Xander's nod, Rei easily hoisted the unconscious Zoltan onto his shoulder.

Silently they headed back to town.

—**_Windhill Inn_**—

"What the hell was that thing! It almost had me!" They were gathered in Xander's room. Zoltan was back to his normal self, much to the relief and chagrin of his friends, "Hey, Xander! We gotta report this to Garden! Ya'know! There's no way we can let this be unreported…"

"Will ya' shut the fuck up for a sec!" An exasperated Xander was just thinking about doing that, but something puzzled him. Before they had set out from Garden, he had made a thorough study of the monsters in the area, and there were no descriptions of this particular mutation of Lefty anywhere in the monster database…and he could've sworn that Garden had the best and most updated state-of-the-art monster database. Another thing that bothered him was Zoltan's transformation. Once he had gained consciousness, he did not seem to remember how it was done, or that he had transformed. He gazed at the younger SeeD pensively. As usual, Zoltan was busy swatting flies with his fists… He knew that Zol's mother was no ordinary person. If Zol didn't have his mother's midnight dark hair and dusky skin… Not to mention Uncle Zell's blue eyes and stocky build, he would've sworn the kid was adopted.

"Xander," Rei looked at him with his strange brandy coloured eyes, "My attempt to scan the monster failed."

"Hmm…" Rei's scanning abilities were superb.

"Well! What're we doin'?" Zoltan was never the patient one, he liked and wanted action.

Xander came to a decision, "Tomorrow, even as we exterminate the usual batch of monsters, we explore the area thoroughly and start asking the locals some questions. Once we have gathered more information, I'll shoot the details to the Commander, and await new orders." Then he looked at himself with a smirk, "But right now I'm gonna shower 'cause I'm covered with monster guts…"

Rei just grunted and went to his room to do the same.

Xander was heading towards the bathroom, when he turned around and looked at Zoltan, who was about to leave the room, "Hey Zol! Maybe you should call your mother and tell her of your transformation."

The younger SeeD looked like he was going to object, but thought better of it and nodded his assent, "Sure thing, boss!"

Xander just rolled his eyes and kept on going.

—**_Next Day _, _Windhill Flower Shop_**_—_

"Melissa, did you get a chance to scout those three SeeDs that came in a couple of days ago?"

"Nah, but my cousin Emily works as a receptionist at the inn they're staying, and told me they are totally hot!"

"Wow, I can't wait to meet them!"

"Down girl! Nadine, just remember that Emily thinks anything wearing pants is hot!"

"Mel you're a real party pooper!"

_Tling!_

"Oops, I gotta go, someone just walked into the store and I'm sure Mrs. Ross will want me out there …" She took a peek through the door and drew a deep breath, "Wow! Nade, you have no idea who just walked in!"

"Who!"

"One of those SeeD guys! …_Hwyne!_ This one is totally cute!"

"What does he look lik—"

"Listen, I gotta go, call ya' later."

Melissa hung up on her friend and hurried out of the stockroom. She took a good look at the SeeD and knew that for once her cousin had not exaggerated. She couldn't help gawking at the guy, he was so tall and that body! It was hard not to drool… He was clad all in black: fitted t-shirt, combat pants and heavy boots. To complete his ensemble, he had a very scary looking weapon strapped to his back, some kind of longish pole with a wicked blade attached to it. The young girl gulped, good-looking _and_ dangerous. Mrs. Ross, the flower shop owner, however, beamed at the newcomer. She seemed oblivious of the wicked weapon strapped to his broad back.

"…And this bunch should go to…?"

"Err… My mother Fujin Naosu at Balamb Garden."

"Your mother will be sure to love these camellias you're sending her, young man!"

"Thank you, for helping me choose them." Rei bowed gracefully at the store manager.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a polite young man, you're one of those SeeDs, right?"

"Yes, I am." He favoured her with a very sweet smile which made the old lady's day.

"I think you youngsters are doing a great job protecting us from those horrible monsters!" She gushed, "Why, only a week ago, some poor fellow ventured out of the protective perimeter and got squished to death by one of those hand-like monsters." She stared at Rei's incredulous look and chuckled, "You wonder how I know about these monsters?"

"I wouldn't presum-"

She went on as if he hadn't spoken, "When you live as long as I have in this area, you tend to know everything, and I mean everything about the area. I was even here when that upstart President of Esthar used to court one of our area residents…" Here, her gaze turned sad, "But that's another story."

_Tling!_

"Rei!" Xander walked into the store, when he saw Mrs. Ross he smiled politely at her and tilted his hat in salute.

"My! You SeeD boys are sure a good-looking lot!" Rei and Xander stared at each other as they felt their faces tinged with a pinkish blush.

"—_Ahem_—Rei, did you?..."

"Yeah."

"Oh, and the other bunch of flowers?" Mrs. Ross waited for Rei to answer.

"They're for my mother, ma'am." Xander answered for his friend.

"And she resides in Balamb Garden as well?"

"No, she-."

Mrs. Ross interrupted him, "Oh! …Melissa, help this young man with his order while I finalize the one I have…"

Melissa thought she had died and gone to heaven. She boldly stared at the other newcomer from the top of his wide-brimmed hat to the tip of his steel-toe boots. This one was tall, although not as tall as the first one, and less muscular, but –_Oh, Hyne!_–He was very nicely put together. Unlike his friend, he wore some sort of deep green military style vest with a black undershirt that hugged a nicely muscled torso and a red bandanna tied to his neck. Several rounds of what looked like ammunition circled his lean hips like a belt and his long legs were encased in a pair of form fitting jeans. He had a shotgun upholstered in one leg and what looked like a blade gun strapped to the other. The weapons looked very heavy but he moved with the ease and grace of someone who was used to carrying such weight around as if they were no more than feathers.

When she looked up, wicked green eyes winked at her, making her blush. He had also been checking her out, and had obviously found her equally pleasing.

"Err… Where are you sending these flowers?"

"They are for Selphie Tilmitt, Trabia Garden." As he watched her write down the information, an idea occurred to him, "Hey, d'you recommend any good places to eat around here that's not the Inn?"

She smiled, "You're tired of the food there, right?"

He had the grace to blush, "Well, the stuff's Ok, but we're getting' sorta tired of stew …"

She laughed, "Ma Dunniggan is not the most imaginative cook…"

"Say, would you like to join me and my friends this afternoon?" Xander asked eagerly, "We're new here and would sure like to get some tips on the area, specially tips on where to get a hold of some good ol' burgers."

"Sure! I'll even bring a friend!"

Xander smiled at her charmingly, "You do that darlin'! The more local people we meet the merrier…"

* * *

To be continued…


	5. Odds and Ends

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft-Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 4:** Odds and Ends**

—**_Balamb Garden, Training Gym MD Level_**—

She stopped by the gliding doors of the gym to catch her breath. Training with Zell Sensei had been the main reason why she had transferred from Trabia a few months ago. Only Balamb Garden provided highly advance training in weaponless combat. Being a surveillance and reconnaissance expert, most of her work was not in actual battle, but she was realistic enough to know that sometimes fighting would be necessary. During her cadet years, with her mother Xu and Instructor Trepe's advice, she had chosen weaponless fighting as her major combat skill, and she had also learned to throw—mostly shruriken—although any pointy object would do in a pinch…

"Ahn! Hey, Ahn! Wait up!"

Ahnyang Hideyoshi turned and saw Zell Dincht lift a hand to wave it in her direction as he made his way from the elevators to where she stood.

"Good morning, Zell Sensei." With her palms joined, she bowed deeply to her martial arts master.

"…Mornin' yourself!"

Zell smiled at her formal manner and sighed mentally. Being a casual kind of guy and not very big with formalities, he sure was surrounded by very formal women; first Zuleima—the love of his life who had to be _Ms._ _Propriety_ numero uno—and now Xu's daughter. As he looked at Ahnyang's tall willowy figure (she was at least two inches taller than he was) Zell asked himself, and not for the first time, how in Hyne's name could the girl possibly be related to the very petite Xu, let alone be her _daughter_… The only thing the two had in common was their straight dark hair, which Ahn wore in a long braid, while Xu…well, Xu wore hers as she always did.

"How did your mission in Dollet go?" Squall had already briefed him and they both had been amused at the outcome, but he wanted to hear Ahn's take on it.

"It was successful, Sensei. The Duke's granddaughter celebrated her birthday without any unforeseen incidents."

"Yeah, I heard that she just glued herself onto our Garden's own pretty boy!" Said Zell grinning widely.

Ahn allowed herself a tiny smirk, "Yes, and Almasy wasn't very pleased about it." _'And let that be the understatement of the year…'_ He had been seething in cold fury and had acted like a big jerk around the poor girl completely ignoring her. However, instead of that being a deterrent, it made the girl just act more clingy. It came to the point in which she thought it would seriously jeopardize his ability to act as squad leader…

"Heard that Gabriel had a bit of a confrontation with you during the mission," he remarked casually and cast her a sideways glance to gauge her reaction.

Ahn stiffened slightly, "Correct, Sensei. However, the issue has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction."

Zell laughed, the girl was really, really good! "Understood. Let's get on with training!"

—**_Balamb Garden Infirmary_**—

"Zuleima! What brings you here so early? I thought we were meeting at the restaurant in Balamb City," Dr. Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart looked her friend over, she seemed fine, "Is it the twins?" She asked anxiously.

"No, nothing of the sort, even as we speak Melinda and Zoraida are probably torturing their poor teacher!" Zuleima replied with a slight smile.

"They _are_ a handful," Rinoa agreed, then added with a grin, "But they are sooo cuuute!"

"Yes, that _is _what everyone keeps calling them, which makes them even _more_ of a handful."

"Well… _you_ they seem to obey, but poor Zell… he's putty in their hands!"

" _-Humph-_ If he were to learn to say the word _'no'_, perhaps he might have a chance…" Her demeanour changed from light hearted banter to serious, "Nevertheless, I'm not here to discuss Zell's foibles, but rather to tell you that Djinn has finally manifested in my eldest son."

Rinoa stared at Zuleima. In the beginning when they had first met, she hadn't been too sure on whether she could actually get along with the strange person Zell had brought from Kashkabald Desert. Every time the girl opened her mouth, Rinoa felt she had to run to the library and look up the words in the dictionary, but somehow being a sorceress she felt drawn to her. It was almost like magic whispering to magic…

"But I thought Djinn was only supposed to come out when one of you were in some serious trouble…" Rinoa continued somewhat confused, "Weren't the boys just fighting off some harmless caterchipillers and bite-bugs over at Windhill?"

"Apparently Zoltan was in grave danger and summoned Djinn unconsciously. After the battle, my son lost consciousness and cannot seem to recall anything." Zuleima answered calmly

"So how d'you know that it was Djinn who came to the rescue?"

"Zoltan tells me that Rei and Xander were witness to Djinn's appearance and he described to me what the other two told him. They even fought alongside Djinn …"

"Hmm… how's that possible? From our knowledge of GF's, once they are summoned they tend to create a protective aura around the summoner's party before they launch their own attack. This protection is so strong that nothing can get to the party, but the party cannot get out either to attack alongside the GF …"

"In many ways, Djinn is not a true Guardian Force like for example your Diablos or your Cerberus—beings that were created by the power of the one you call Hyne. Djinn is the Guardian of the Kashkabald Desert people, and predates the existence of Hyne…"

"Ok, Ok you lost me there, Zuleima!" Rinoa held out her hand to stop her friend's explanation.

Zuleima just smiled, "In any case the explanation is irrelevant to the situation, I just wanted to request that you get samples of Zoltan's blood when he returns from the mission. You should find it's composition completely changed."

"Oh…" Rinoa didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry too much about it, just remember to test my son's blood upon his return. Meanwhile, while I wait for you to finish, I'll go visit Susana in the library. For the first time in many months I finally have a bit of leisure time for myself!"

"Who's babysitting the twins after school?"

"Oh, I was chatting with Quistis when somehow that topic came up and she volunteered Eleanor to do the honours!" Zuleima added, "She'll probably make Twyla come along as well. Those two are inseparable!"

"Quisty is probably punishing Ella for pulling a prank on my son…" Rinoa giggled good-naturedly, "Poor Ty, he's too similar to my husband so he's a perfect target for those two pranksters!"

Zuleima just shook her head, after all these years with Zell—the most informal of men—she should be accustomed to the way surface dwellers socialized. It was rather refreshing to a certain extent. Certainly, she had tried to raise her own children in a balanced way, but of course, both the eldest and the youngest have taken after their father with only her middle child, Eleazar, mildly resembling her.

"Rinoa, you make it sound like it is a good thing…"

"Sure it is! I think Ty's sometimes too cerebral for his own good, you know, he internalizes _everything_! So…yeah, I think these girls are good for him, they're also cute too!" She grimaced, "Not that my son seems to notice!"

Zuleima chuckled, "And that is a good thing as well! Tyrrell might become target practice for _Exeter_ or even worse, he could be facing _Hyperion_'s wrath…"

" —_Scoff_—I can understand Seifer's upset, since he's always been the possessive type, but that self-confessed ladies man Irvine? Chasing after _my_ innocent son? I'll petrify him with a spell, see if I won't!"

Both women stared at each other and started to laugh.

—**_Balamb Garden, SeeD Quarters_**—

Gabriel Almasy was relaxing on bed with his head resting over folded arms and his eyes shut close. He could feel on his face, on his limbs and on his body the warmth of the morning sunlight that streamed through the open window. In an hour or so he should be meeting with Uncle Wuss in the training gym. He smiled at his childhood name for Zell, he had been _very_ young when he had come up with it. It had all been his father's fault, Seifer would call Zell _'Chickenwuss'_ even in front of the children…

…

"_Hey, Chickenwuss!" Hollered Seifer from the street at the Dincht's balcony in Balamb City, while holding an almost two year old Gabriel in his arms, "Quis wants to know if you're gonna be joining the rest of us later on!"_

_By this time, Zell and Seifer had already established a very childish pattern of calling each other by their favourite _'nicknames'_, a behaviour that irritated the hell out of Quistis but somehow secretly seemed to amused Zuleima. Zell appeared at the balcony and yelled back at the expectant Seifer._

"_What! Tone it down will ya? Zul's still napping Ass…aah!" By this time Zell had caught sight of little Gabriel up in his father's arms and had to swallow his favourite _'nickname'_ for his supposed archnemesis. "Err… sure thing! Tell Quisty we'll be over when Zul wakes from her nap." _

"_Ok, will do. See ya at the beach!" Seifer smirked and kissed the top of Gabriel's ash blond hair. The little boy seemed oblivious to the on goings of the adults, because he was too busy playing with the plush version of an Ochu monster that his father had just purchased for him._

…

Gabriel smiled at the memory, with hindsight he realized why his dad would usually offer to take him whenever he had to discuss anything with Uncle Wuss… His mother, however, had not found the name calling so amusing…

…

_It was a special occasion, the old orphanage gang was gathered together in one place. No missions, no wars, no sorceress possession, no duties or responsibilities… Just old friends who grew up together alongside their partners and their children enjoying a picnic on Rinaul Beach. _

_Rinoa was yelling at Squall to grab their two year old son, Foehn, before he was drowned by the tide._

_Selphie with the help of Gabriel and her two year old Xander was trying to bury a protesting Irvine with sand, while a highly amused Quistis just watched as she cuddled Selphie's youngest, baby Sylvie, in her arms. In the background, Seifer could be heard swearing at the barbecue which didn't want to start up._

"_Yo!" Everyone turned and watched Zell approach the group, guiding protectively a very pregnant Zuleima. The little boys dropped everything and ran to greet their favourite uncle._

"_Uncle Thell!" Lisped Xander as he run as fast as his short little legs allowed him._

"_Uncle Wuss!" Screamed Gabriel, not to be outdone by his friend._

_Utter silence from the adults. _

_Quistis had been the first one to recover from the shock and gave Seifer a furious look._

"_SEIFER!"_

…

The memory still made him chuckle. His poor dad had been forced to sleep on the couch for quite a while until his mom finally decided to forgive him. But in spite of all Quistis's efforts, he had just continued to call Zell _'Uncle Wuss'_. To everyone's surprise, after recovering from his initial annoyance, Zell himself had been highly amused by the _'title'_, his only comment had been, "It figures".

In truth, Gabriel was very fond of all his uncles, but his Uncle Wuss was special. He had been his martial arts master for as long as he could remember. He looked forward to his training sessions with Uncle Wuss with as much enthusiasm as his gunblade sparring ones with his father. He knew that in his youth Zell had been a very rash and impetuous young man, a trait that Seifer, whom Gabriel knew to have been a big bully, exploited whenever he wanted to get a reaction out of Zell.

The young man got out of bed and went rummaging for a track suit. Once he got dressed, he left his room and headed towards the lift that would take him to the MD Level. As he made his way to the training gym, many eyes ogled him as they followed his lithe figure down the hallway. Gabriel coolly ignored the stares because he was used to them. Very tall and broad shouldered, he wore his ash blond hair shorn very short, and if that wasn't enough to draw attention, azure blue eyes stared out of a very beautiful masculine face.

When he was younger, people's incessant staring used to bother him greatly since he found no merit in his good looks, just a neverending sense of annoyance. He didn't like it either when people fawned over his mother simply because she was beautiful. It seemed to him a very shallow reason to try to get close to someone. He didn't want his little sister Eleanor to experience all the leering he had to endure, so he was rather heavy handed with anyone he caught staring at her. He knew that when his father was around, Seifer's mere presence was enough of a deterrent, but when their parents were busy at Esthar Garden, the duty fell on him to protect his little sister from all the lechers out there…

—**_Trabia Garden_**—

"Hey mom! Daddy told me you were lookin' for me…" Sylvie careened into her mother's office and stopped abruptly, barely missing being hit by the desk. Then seemed to remember something and rushed out to say, "Hiya, Phitzer! You're coming to the event I'm organizing aren't ya?" Without waiting for his reply, Sylvie went back into her mother's office.

Trabia's Commander Selphie Tilmitt just giggled at her daughter's impulsive ways, her secretary Phitzer was an extremely efficient young man, but the poor boy seemed to have a bit of a crush on her daughter and always blushed to the roots of his blonde hair whenever Sylvie looked at him, let alone spoke to him.

"Yeah, I wanted to go over the budget you submitted for the Tri-Garden Festival…"

"Mom! Don't tell me you're cutting the budget!"

Selphie could hear the disappointment underlying the whine in her daughter's tone and she wasn't buying any of it. Out of all her children, seventeen year old Sylvie was the one who resembled her the most. Not so much in her looks, but in her character. The girl was born to manipulate people. Although Sylvie had inherited her mother's rather slight and petite frame, her facial features, her indigo blue eyes and her light-brown hair were all Irvine.

"Syl, just shut-up and listen, will ya?" She waved her hand at one of the blue upholstered chairs next to her desk, indicating to her daughter she should sit down. "Is not 'bout money, sweetie, if we're short I'm sure I'll be able to jiggle somethin' out of your uncles Squall and Seifer."

She didn't tell her daughter that her jiggling meant just bugging Squally and Seify to death until they cracked down and agreed to fund anything just to get her out of their hair…

"I was lookin' over your proposed site for the Tri-Garden Festival and wanted to ask you why is it that you changed the site."

"Well, I thought that it was a nice change from the same boring places…"

"That's the main reason why we always rotated between Gardens? I think this year is Balamb's turn."

"Yeah, but it's always the same ol' places, I thought it would be nice to have the Festival outside the perimeter of the Gardens and close to the source of their beginning, Centra."

Selphie looked at her daughter's eager face and thought to herself, _'Sooo, at least she did listen to her history lessons even if her instructor complained that she flirted too much in class.'_

"D'you think holding the Festival at the _Centra Chocobo Racing Dome_ is a celebration of Garden's roots?" Selphie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, definitely!" Replied her incorrigible daughter, raising her right fist up in a gesture so reminiscent of her younger self that it made Selphie laugh…

* * *

To be continued…


	6. A Cloud of Unnameable Feeling

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 5:** A Cloud of Unnameable Feeling**

They move in the realm of darkness, yet they are not afraid of light.

In their wake, light seems dimmer, and dark seems less dark.

It is their nature to diminish everything they find in their path.

Sightless eyes gaze at the world with very little or no understanding of their surroundings.

They cannot see.

They cannot hear.

They cannot smell.

Tactile feeling is a very vague intuition. A weak shadow of real perception. A very distant memory from a past long gone.

A voice calls to them.

An insidious voice.

* * *

To be continued…


	7. Slow Convergence

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 6:** Slow Convergence**

–_Balamb Garden Entrance Gates_–

Tyrrell walked towards Garden entrance gate slowly as his little brother Gustav and his best buddy Eleazar rushed past him trying to outrun each other. As the boys careened blindly towards their goal, they bumped into the two chattering SeeD cadets who were heading outside Garden.

"Whoa!" Screamed the taller of the two, a young blonde, "Watch where you two are going!"

"Gussy? Ely?" The shorter one, an auburn haired girl with green eyes asked, "What'cha doin' runnin' like that?"

"Hey Twy!" Gustav said panting slightly, "…Sorry …'bout that Ella but…"

"Last one's a wuss!" Eleazar informed them and started to run again.

"No fair! Wait up Ely!" Gustav yelled at his friend and ran after him.

The two girls giggled, those two kids were just too cute!

"Twyla. Eleanor."

Tyrrell had made his way to where the two girls were standing. Eleanor blushed and nodded at him, while Twyla gave Tyrrell a rather cheeky smile.

"Ty! What'cha doin'? Wanna hang in Balamb with us?"

The young man stared at them. They had practically grown up together with their parents being so close. (Take or leave a confrontation or two between his father and Eleanor's) He was used to Twyla's pranks. Her latest had been during their Magic class with Instructor Aki, who had been droning on and on about the various effects of status magic spells. As usual, he was on his assigned seat behind the prankster when he heard her yell _'OOoops!'_ far too loudly for comfort. Before he knew it, some sort of yellowish powder had fallen on him and on the cadet seated next to him. He felt as if he'd swallowed a huge Malboro and by the looks of the guy seated on his left, he had been similarly affected…

…

"_Wow! I can't believe it… It worked!" Both Twyla and Eleanor had turned around to stare at the **silent** guys. Tyrrell was glaring at them, while the other guy was just staring stupidly at the girls with his eyes agog and his mouth held wide open, not a sound coming out of him, making them both giggle. …_

"_Here Ty, we'll cur…"_

"_Miss Kinneas, Miss Almasy, may I **humbly** inquire as to **what** you find so fascinating about Mr. Leonhart and Mr. Kenobi?" At the sound of Instructor Aki's fussy voice, both girls turned around quickly._

_Some muted and some not so muted giggles and chuckles could be heard around the classroom. They were all used to Twyla's attempts to make class less boring, but it was the first time she had tried anything on old Aki's class. The instructor's curmudgeon-like disposition was legendary around B-Garden. Aki had moved to stand before the little group. _

"_Aaah! … Instructor Aki, IwasjustshowingmypalEleanorherethesilentpowderthatIgotfrom** -inhale- **defeatingaGrattodayattheTrainingCentre…" Twyla paused to breathe again,"… andsomehowitslippedmyfingerandendedonpoorTyrrell!" She finished as she turned around again and waved her hands wildly at the silently fuming Tyrrell, completely ignoring the other affected student._

"_Miss Almasy, could you please explain how is it that the silent powder 'which slipped by accident' ended on **both** Mr.Leonhart and Mr. Kenobi, who happen to be seated **behind** you." There was an extremely acid tone in old Aki's voice._

_Twyla saw Tyrrell smirk in spite of his discomfort and rolled her eyes, Ella was the greatest of friends but she was the lousiest liar **ever**… _

"_Instructor Aki! I can give you an expl–" Twyla raised her hand, desperately trying to interrupt._

"_The question was addressed to Miss Almasy."_

_Eleanor's head almost sank into her shoulders, "Err…well, it kinda flew out of Twy's hands and…"_

"_Don't you mean it was purposely tossed behind?" Old Aki asked with narrowed eyes._

"_Weeell…" Poor Ella blushed profusely, clearly uncomfortable._

_When other people blushed, they looked like they were deep in pain. When Eleanor Almasy blushed, it just made people gawk at her mesmerized. Tyrrell cast a sour look at Kenobi, disgust clearly written across his face, **'Oh, for fuck's sake, moron! Get a grip of yourself! Don't drool!…'**_

"_ESUNA!" At old Aki's clearly enunciated spell, Tyrrell felt bathed in a soothing green light which immediately unclogged his throat. "As for you, young ladies, perhaps two hours detention might help wean you out of further 'accidents'."_

…

"Hey! Yoo-hoo! Ground Control to Tyrrell Leonhart!"

The young man snapped out of his reverie and stared at the two girls before him. As usual, Twyla was bouncing around him, waving her hand at his face, trying to get a rise out of him; while Eleanor –her calmer counterpart– stood observing everything silently in the background.

"Well? Are ya comin' with us?"

"Why?" Tyrrell asked suspiciously.

"Oh, we're gonna visit at Aunt Zuleima's," replied Twyla airily.

The young man stared impassively at the girl.

"Aww! Ty, don't be so suspicious!" She latched onto one of his arms and smiled up at him batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

Eleanor watched the two of them. She had to admit that although her best friend was real good at making people do what she wanted, she wasn't getting anywhere with Tyrrell. Standing at 5'5", Twyla was a taller version of her mother with the same auburn hair and green eyes; even in her choice of clothing the daughter shared the mother's fondness for overalls, except that instead of going for yellow, Twy favoured light green… With little yellow chicobos embroidered at the hem. As for Leonhart, it was amazing how much he had shot up since last time they saw him. He had been around Eleanor's height, maybe a bit taller, but now he towered over the two of them. She blinked when Tyrrell directed his blue-grey gaze directly at her, as if asking her silently to elaborate on Twyla's invitation.

'**_How does she do it…?'_** Tyrrell thought perplexed –Against his will, he could feel his hormones working overtime when those deep sea-green eyes blinked at him. Everyone in B-Garden knew Eleanor Almasy was off limits or their life would be worthless, but some idiots like that Kenobi guy in magic class actually thought they had a chance. **_'Good luck if he thinks he can actually take on Gabriel…'_** Kenobi was a pretty husky guy, and his defensive blade work was quite decent, but Eleanor's brother was also Tyrrell's Gunblade Master. He knew what Gabriel was capable of doing, and he was more than sure that Kenobi would lying flat on the ground before he could get his blade out.

All Eleanor had to do was blink at a guy to reduce him into a drooling moron. Jalek Kenobi was just another example. To be fair, the gesture was completely innocent… Having known each other since they were babies, he knew that she wasn't the type to flirt. So unlike Twyla…

"Hey, Ty! I bet you don't wanna come with us 'cause you got yourself a hot date with that Samantha girl!" If nothing, Twyla was persistent. She tugged the sleeve of his cadet uniform to make sure she had his attention. "I heard she's reeeaalll jealous! And she's being eyeing ya all week… Aw, tell Aunty Twy all 'bout it!"

"It's none of your business." Tyrrell told her curtly. He knew it would be useless to repress Twyla's inexhaustible curiosity so he would just have to say as little as possible and keep his temper in check.

"Wow! It must be true! Tell me ev…"

"Ahem!" Eleanor decided to interrupt before Twy managed to rouse the sleeping lion. She knew from experience that Tyrrell was pretty self-contained, but if provoked too much… "If you must know, we're babysitting Melly and Zelly."

Slate-blue eyes turned to look at her again, this time pensively, "I see…"

He noticed that although they were both in civvies, Twyla had her Chain-Whip rolled securely to the side while Eleanor's Wakazashi Blades were in their sheaths strapped securely for easy access to her hips and thighs. He frowned at Almasy's outfit. Granted she didn't show as much skin as Twyla, but those little white shorts of hers didn't leave much to the imagination.

"Let's go." He said and turned abruptly to walk towards the entrance.

The two girls just stared at each other, then Twyla winked at Eleanor and ran up to catch up with Tyrrell.

"Wait-up Ty! You haven't finished tellin' us 'bout Samantha!"

Eleanor just rolled her eyes and followed them.

§ § §

– _Esthar Garden, The Almasy's Living Quarters–_

"Quis! Hurry it up will ya!" Seifer yelled, "Remember we're drivin' over!"

The tall figure, elegantly clad in an impeccably tailored tuxedo, stalked to the bedroom intent on dragging his partner out.

"Seifer, why are you always so impatient?"

Quistis stepped out of the bedroom and calmly walked pass her husband to go over to the oval mirror that adorned their entry hallway, where she had left her gloves and her cashmere shawl. She completely ignored Seifer because she knew he was sulking. After a rather long argument, she had managed to make him promise not to bring _Hyperion_ to the reception at the Presidential Palace.

"You know how much I **_love_** going to these things! Specially in this get-up," He stared at the tuxedo he was wearing disdainfully.

Having gotten that out of his chest, he followed her into the hallway and leaned on the wall by the mirror to admire her at leisure. She was wearing a red cheong-sam embroidered with gold motifs that followed lovingly the graceful lines of her body until it split on mid-thigh showing a tantalizing glimpse of shapely long legs. With her golden blonde hair coiled smoothly in a chignon, she looked exquisite. Straightening he closed the distance between them, and placed his hands lightly around her waist.

"Baby, you look hot!" He bent his head to kiss the spot left bare by the round collar of her dress sending shivers up Quistis's spine.

"So do you." She returned the favour and slowly caressed him with her eyes, "I like you in a formal wear." At his loud snort, she raised herself up on her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips, "Let's go."

"Ok." He looked down at her, a devilish look in his sea green eyes, "By the way, I don't need _Hyperion_, my fists will be good enough to pound anyone I catch lookin' funny at you, babe."

"Seifer be serious, please!" Admonished Quistis while she rolled her eyes.

"I'm being dead serious. No one, and I mean NO ONE ogles **_my wife_**!" He proceeded to drape her shawl around her shoulders and then offered her his arm.

Quistis, slightly annoyed at him, ignored his proffered arm and walked to the lift that would take them directly to where their vehicle was parked. Seifer raised a blond eyebrow at her cold shoulder. In two long strides he caught up with her, and took hold of one of her elbows. As he _'guided'_ her to the lift he muttered, "That asshole Jenssen better beware." And left it at that.

Frederic Jenssen was President Loire's Press Secretary and a founding member of the Estharian chapter of Trepies International. Not for the first time, Quistis wished that she had not used the broadcasting system at Timber that time more than 23 years ago to summon Squall's team. She had only thought on the expediency of contacting the team in the quickest and most efficient manner. She had never thought about the impact of having her image broadcasted around the world. It hadn't even occurred to her. After defeating Ultimecia and even during those infamous sorceress trials, she had been bombarded with constant offers to have her own televised show, to model for the most exclusive fashion houses or to endorse beauty products she had never even heard of.

At the time, she had thought nothing of it, Selphie, Squall, Irvine and Zell had been bombarded with the same offers. She had thought it was the fame that came from having defeated a very great threat, but even as the offers for the others had trickled out, hers kept pouring in. Her fan mail was massive, paparazzi dogged her every step, she had to even give up going on missions, because of all the attention her mere presence drew. She had been reduced to acting as a mere envoy to negotiate a contract with the Free Republic of Timber on Garden's behalf, when Laguna and the Headmaster had asked her to act as Seifer's aide in Esthar. Matron had also been present, and she had found it most difficult to ignore the entreaty in her eyes. More than anyone else, Matron really wanted Seifer to make something out of his life.

Quistis looked fondly at her husband as he drove. Oh, how he had bitched about wearing the tuxedo! Instead, he'd wanted to wear the SeeD Commander uniform he and Squall had devised for themselves. She and Rinoa had both concurred, their so called _'dress'_ uniform was an excuse to wear gunblades –Well, at least she was sure that had been Squall's motive… As for Seifer? Arrogant and oh-so-sure-of-himself, he'd always liked being the centre of attention. But he sought admiration for his warrior's prowess, never for the way he looked.

Seifer, aware of her intimate perusal, kept his eyes on the road, but took her hand and lifted her fingers to his lips, slowly kissing each finger. He had not really changed that much, his straw blond hair was swept back in his usual style, but he had let it grow longer so that the tips brushed his broad shoulders. Possessed of a very athletic physique and well defined muscles, Seifer had always been a very handsome man, beautiful even. Quistis knew he got his fair share of attention… **'_But I don't go around threatening people with my whip _Save the Queen' **

After their acquittal at the World's Court both Seifer and Rinoa had also received countless offers. There had even been rumours circulating around Balamb Garden at the time, that a very popular beefcake magazine had offered Seifer an enormous amount of gil to pose as their centrefold under the title, '_My Own Knight_'… **_'I wonder if he drew _Hyperion_ on those people too…' _**

Out of their entire group, Rinoa and Selphie had been the easiest to entice. They had finally succumbed to the lure of modelling a whole line of the season's hottest fashions for a very glamorous magazine, _STYLISH YOU._ Of course, it had all being for a very good cause –the reconstruction of T-Garden– but it also helped that they got to keep all the stuff they'd modelled. The magazine with its cover feature entitled "Sorceress and SeeD Girl" sold out within minutes of its appearance on newsstands. Everyone, Matron included, had thought that Headmaster Cid would blow his top once he saw the magazine, but in truth he took it quite well. Squall reacted with his customary _'whatever'_ when he saw photos of his girlfriend modelling a very tiny white bikini on the magazine's glossy pages and Rinoa's father, _the_ interim President of Galbadia just kept his own counsel.

To everyone's surprise, the one to blow a couple of fuses had been easy-going Irvine. According to Zell's highly amused account, it was possible to see steam coming out of the sharpshooter's head when he had been shown pictures of a scantily clad Selphie, large green eyes staring straight into the camera, lying tastefully but provocatively on a huge bed wearing nothing but a yellow bikini bottom and a golden metallic belt on her waist fashioned out of links shaped like chocobos.

To her knowledge, none of the guys accepted any of the offers. Squall dealt with the barrage by simply ignoring it. Zell might had been tempted had they been related to aero skateboards, but he had been disgusted at being asked to endorse hair gel. Irvine had been too busy pursuing Selphie to pay any attention to what was going on. And Seifer, with his customary hot-temper had threatened to maim anyone who dared make him any _'sissy'_ offers.

Quistis snapped out of her reverie when she noticed that they were quickly approaching the Estharian city lights. Suddenly her eyes widened and she screamed in horror.

"SEIFER! LOOK OUT!"

§ § §

– _Windhill, a pub somewhere in town –_

Two girls, dressed to kill, were seated on a corner booth of the "Dancing Chocobo Pub and Bar". They seemed to be waiting for someone. Several guys had gone up to them trying to draw them out, but they were turned away.

"Soooo Melissa, it's gettin' kinda late… I think we've been stood up!"

"Oh, shut-up! You're always thinking the worst, Nade!"

"What? What should I think? We've been here for almost half an h…"

"Hey!" Their argument was interrupted by a caramel-skinned young man of medium height with spiky brown hair and the most startling blue eyes. "Are you waitin' for my friends?"

Both girls looked him over, he was kind of cute although a bit too young for them…

"Don't you think that pickup line is kinda lame?" Melissa asked winking at him and making him blush. The other girl gave him a do-I-even-know-you stare.

"No, no... don't get me wrong, ladies!" Zoltan held up his hands palms out as if trying to protect himself and started to sweat, "I'm a member of the SeeD te-"

Nadine looked him over carefully. She'd seen quite a few SeeD in town as they were hired routinely to rid the vicinity of Lunar Cry monsters, and she had never seen one dressed with a pair of longish canary yellow cargo shorts worn over bright red high-cut sneakers, "Aren't you kinda young to be SeeD?"

The scepticism in her voice upset Zoltan, "I became SeeD last month!" He told them indignantly.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Melissa winked at her friend and scooted over, inviting the young SeeD to sit next to her by patting the vacated space, "Now, tell us all about it!"

§

_Briefly later…_

Two tall figures walked into the busy place, their eyes scanning the dim interior of the pub, for a second the ebb and flow of the conversation seemed to stop only to be resumed again. The newcomers seemed to have found whomever it was they were looking for, and headed towards one of the corners. There, two girls were talking animatedly with a young man wearing very loud yellow cargo shorts.

"Rei **_-Nudge-_** There he is… What did I tell ya? They probably know more 'bout us now than we do." Xander nodded in direction of the corner where Zoltan, his expressive hands moving everywhere, seemed to be talking animatedly with two enraptured girls.

" **_-Humph- _**What makes you think they'd ask him about **_us_**?" Rei didn't sound very impressed, "and why is that relevant to our mission?"

Xander pretended to ponder the question by adopting a pensive pose, and by the sounds of his friend's loud snort he wasn't being very successful, "Oh, alright… I asked the girl to meet us 'cause she's cute," green eyes narrowed a bit, "But now that I see her friend, I might have a hard time decidin'…"

Rei was not amused, "You should've just asked her about any unusual monster activity in the area when we were at the store."

"Because we **_were_** in a store, we could've been interrupted. And… you shouldn't underestimate Zol, he's pretty good at extracting information with that chatterbox personality of his…"

"Let's just get this over with." Rei started towards Zoltan, ignoring some of the inviting glances cast his way from some of the pub's patrons.

"Relax man! Lemme buy ya a drink." Xander slapped Rei's shoulder as they went together to join their friend.

§ § §

To be continued…


	8. The Tech Squad

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 7:** The Tech Squad**

– _Trabia Garden Cafeteria _–

There's a young man hunched over his laptop in a very secluded corner of Trabia Garden's Cafeteria. To the casual observer, he's a strange looking thing with an unruly mop of dark brown hair streaked with lighter brown and reddish highlights. All who claim to know him will assure the outsider that those streaks are natural since Mitchell Tomaguchi or the 'Mole', as he's known throughout T-Garden, has never been inside a hair salon in all his seventeen years of life. It's possible that his eyes might be the same colour as his hair, although that's very hard to verify, because what most people get to see are his goggles, which some swear he wears even to sleep…

No one looking at him would imagine this inoffensive young man to be the most expert hacker inside and outside Tri-Garden… A rather pleasant young man, he can be quite forgetful sometimes, unless it's got something to do with a machine or with Ahnyang Hideyoshi. As the rumour mill has it, the Mole has a huge size crush on "_Big sis" _Ahnyang, and was inconsolable for a while when she transferred to Balamb Garden. He became reconciled with her transfer when after becoming SeeD, Commander Tilmitt took him aside, and told him Ahnyang had requested that he be her tech-support whenever she went on a mission.

Most SeeD surveillance experts like Hideyoshi require the kind of tech support that only T-Garden can provide, therefore it wasn't unusual for the T-Garden Commander to receive such requests from SeeDs within the Tri-Garden Network. Only Galbadia Garden, the largest of the four, was self-sufficient enough. Given that the entire population of Tri-Garden (pop. 14,200) was much smaller than the population of G-Garden alone (pop. 15,800), it was only logical that G-Garden would require no inter-Garden assistance. Not to mention that G-Garden could also tap into the vast resources of the Galbadia government, since they had signed a treaty of mutual cooperation.

Mole's first opportunity to serve as Ahnyang's tech-support had been on a mission in the Dukedom of Dollet, where he had been told in no uncertain terms by Gabriel Almasy, the squad leader, that he was under his command. Just thinking about the squad leader's intimidating stature made Mole want to sink to the floor, but after witnessing Almasy's more than capable leadership, the Mole decided that he had no problems serving under the man. Apparently, during the mission Mole had also developed a bit of a crush on Gabriel Almasy. Apart from the leader, the squad had consisted of seven SeeDs: five combat specialists, one surveillance expert and one technical support. The Mole knew that of the team, he had been the only low ranking SeeD (All the rest were in their twenty plus ranking!), because it was a top level mission. They had been hired by the Duke of Dollet himself to protect his granddaughter during her coming of age birthday celebration.

The Mole was expertly tapping away into his highly modified laptop when he felt someone sit at his table. He raised his eyes and blinked owlishly when a pair of deep indigo eyes confronted him.

"Hiya Mole! I've gotta ask ya somethin'!"

Sylvie watched with keen interest as the Mole sank his head into his shoulders and muttered something unintelligible to her. She knew that Tomaguchi was incredibly shy, and that for some reason he was scared of her. **_'Geez, like, what does he think I'll do to him?'_** Looking at his rather skinny frame and obvious lack of muscle, she had to wonder as to how in hell the Mole managed to pass the rather dangerous SeeD Field Exam. The _real_ exam, not the simulation one, as she knew he was more than capable of hacking himself a pass with flying colours…

As far as anyone knew –and she _was_ good at extracting information– the Mole specialty was guns, as in laser guns, but she'd never seen him with one… although… Sylvie cast a shrewd glance at Mole's highly stylized and modified laptop, **_'-_Humph_-, that thing's probably more than what it seems…'_** She shrugged her shoulders mentally, **_'I know Ahn was givin' him some lessons in self-defence, and she's real good at that… Oh well…!'_** She plastered a cheerful smile on her lips, and decided to continue with her request in spite of his obvious lack of enthusiasm at her presence.

"I need your help with a network… Can ya hack into the _Centra Chocobo Racing Dome_ for me?" She winked at him, "I would do it mysel' but their network security is way toooo sophisticated for me…"

She noticed that when she mentioned the word **_'hack'_ **the Mole's entire demeanour seemed to brighten, only to sink back down again.

"Sorry, can't do it…" And proceeded to mumble something that sounded like **_'Against Garden regulations'_** making Sylvie narrow her eyes at him.

"Oh, well too bad!" She allowed her face to fall then added slyly, "I'll just have to tell Ahn that you couldn't help me like she promised you could…"

"You mean _SeeD Hideyoshi_ recommended me to you?" Mole said the name with reverence.

"Yeah, like she and I are best pals, don't ya know?" Huge indigo eyes stared innocently at him, while the cogwheels behind them were in full motion, **_'I better call Ahn and have her back-up my story…or even better, if he refuses… Get her to ask him for me!'_**

"Well…I–I guess it's alright, if–if she recommended me." He said tentatively, only to be rewarded by a huge smile that made him blink. Now that he was staring at her, instead of at his computer screen he realized she was really pretty, though not as pre…

"Whoo-hoo! I knew you would help us!" She got up and pulled him along, "C'mon, Mole, follow me, we've got places to go!"

The Mole reluctantly allowed her to pull him up and drag him outside the cafeteria to Hyne knew where! –He really had no choice, he was holding his onto precious laptop with just one hand, because the other one had been clutched tightly by Sylvie. For such a tiny girl, she sure was strong! _**'At least she's not Twyla,'** _He thought glumly. Although that prankster was a cadet in B-Garden, she always visited her parents during the breaks and made his life impossible. **_'I wonder who she's torturing when she doesn't have me around…'_** The Mole would be the first one to be surprised if anyone where to tell him that there were jealous undertones in that question…

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden MD Level, en route to the Training Gym–_

"Gabe! Hey, Gabe! Wait up, man!"

Gabriel stopped to wait for Foehn to catch up with him. Like himself, his friend seemed dressed for a workout at the gym.

"Are you training with Uncle Wuss too?"

All of them were used to the unique way Gabriel addressed Zell, so Foehn did not even blink an eye, "Nah! I'm just going for a bit of workout." He patted his flat stomach, "Can't allow this to get too large, ya know!"

Gabriel just snorted –He seemed to be doing a lot of that whenever Foehn was around. Everyone knew that Foehn was a bottomless pit who exercised very little but somehow managed to maintain his shape. He raised a sceptical eyebrow at his friend, "Come again? You _are_ working out aren't you and not just fucking pretending to so you can ogle girls…"

"Hey Gabe, you wound me! Would I do that?" He forestalled his friend's obvious answer and mumbled, "Mom's orders… She made me go through a physical yesterday and was not very happy with the results." His shoulders fell in a dejected manner, "I'm to do a two hour workout everyday and she's putting me on a diet!" There was a sobbing tone added to the last phrase.

Trying to hide his amusement, Gabriel put a supporting hand on his friend's shoulder and tried to console him, "Working out it's not too bad, you know, these gyms are state of the art, the equipment too… Also isn't Sis coming over for a visit next week? She's bringing Matron too, somethin' to do with the Tri-Garden Festival, at least that's what my mom told me last time we spoke."

Foehn perked up immediately upon hearing of the arrival of his two most favourite women (after his mom, of course). He** _was_** Sis's favourite nephew, even now when he was all grown-up she spoiled him tremendously. And Matron… Matron had raised all of their parents… She understood the value of **_real_** nutrition, and could probably talk his mother into cancelling the horrible diet she had prepared for him**_ 'Like, eating more green stuff, like how's that good for me? Do I look like a chocobo?'_**

"Oh, man! You saved my life Gabe! You've got no idea of the stuff my mom wants me to eat!" He shuddered.

"Maybe you should exercise some restrain next time you go to Grandpa Laguna's place…"

Foehn's grandfather kept a very well supplied table, and made sure all the kids were extremely well fed whenever any of them went to visit him. **_'Foehn must've really made a pig of himself when he was over at Laguna's…'_** Gabriel concluded. Using the pretext of training under his grandfather, Foehn managed to escape the rather gruelling routine of a SeeD at B-Garden, not to mention the taxing missions they were usually assigned by going to Esthar. For all his goofiness, the President of Esthar was an acknowledged expert in weaponry, specially on machine and submachine-guns, Foehn's chosen field of specialty.

"Tch, you wouldn't understand, you think like a warrior first, a **_human_** later," And added under his breath, "**_Much_** later…"

"Yeah, whatever…" Gabriel changed the subject to prevent Foehn from launching into one of his nonsensical lectures, "I heard that Esthar military is testing a new gun model. Did you get a chance to try it out?"

They had been walking along the rather silent corridors of the MD Level, which consisted of a series of separate training gyms, and a new Training Centre for only top-level SeeDs.

"Man! Did I ever!" Foehn answered with enthusiasm, "The new MK-90A is one hell of a machine-gun, it packs 90+ rounds of ammo per sec! That's POWER, ya know! There's almost no recoil, and its adamantine frame makes it real lightweight…"

Gabriel whistled, "You're not shitting me are ya?"

"Hah! I tell ya, that baby's a real beauty! Can't wait till I tell Xander, man!"

"You wouldn't have, by any chance, brought one home…?" He asked tentatively. All three of them, Xander, Foehn and himself were gun crazy.

"Ya bet! Grandpa Laguna packed it himself!"

"And your ol' man's okay with it?"

"Hey, who d'you think _gave his _permission for me to bring that baby home?"

They had arrived at the training gym that Zell had reserved for their training.

"Want to join us?" Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at his friend, and then smiled, "It'll be more fun that way."

"Yeah…! You just wanna have a chance to throw me around like I'm some kinda rag." Foehn complained, it was not the first time they trained together.

"Is it my fault your close combat skills are so crappy?"

The doors slid open silently after he punched in his code, and slid noiselessly closed after they both stepped into the gym. The training area was impressive, it boasted a very high vault ceiling with huge windows running on the side that allowed natural light to stream into the room, thus eliminating the need of artificial lighting during daylight. The sense of spaciousness was amplified by floors made of light wood panelling. The walls were mostly made of crystal rock salvaged from Lunatic Pandora. The crystal had been highly polished so that it's bluish-green sheen reflected and refracted the light streaming in from the windows. In both corners facing the windows, the water motif so characteristic of B-Garden's architecture was present. There was a cascade that sprouted out of a hewn crystal ledge, and fell into a blue mosaic basin shaped like a fan sporting B-Garden's distinctive logo. Nearby there were benches made of blasted sandstone, where combatants could leave their belongings before engaging in battle. It was obvious this particular gym was a space designed for free-style fighting.

Both Gabriel and Foehn were used to the facility so instead of being impressed by the surroundings, as many newcomers would be, they focused their attention on the two combatants that were battling near the center of the gym. One of them, a dark haired girl, was temporarily distracted by their arrival. She barely managed to dodge Zell's well aimed kick at her shoulder by performing a back flip that landed her on her feet again. As it was, Zell had must've done some damage, because she was flexing the shoulder that Zell had targeted. But she had learnt her lesson, her attention now was completely focused on her Sensei.

"Hey man, who's the babe? I've never seen her here around Garden before…" Foehn whispered to Gabriel. They were both standing to the side in order to watch the fight as unobtrusively as possible. Even as he spoke, Foehn's greyish blue eyes were lovingly following the girl's willowy figure as she managed to dodge Zell's attacks, coming in quick succession, one right after the other, all the time looking for an opening to perform her own attack. Foehn sighed, "I would've remembered her."

"Ahnyang Hideyoshi, she transferred here three months ago from Trabia." Azure eyes followed the girl as she quickly jumped out of the way from another blow, and tried to land a kick herself. Her long braid had become detached from where it was strapped to her tank top. Gabriel grudgingly acknowledged that she was graceful and efficient in all her movements. Watching her was like watching a dancer in motion. He didn't have to look at Foehn to know that the moron was being mesmerized by her.

"Wow!" The girl had done a back flip with one hand, exposing every single curvy line of her body, "How's it you know her?" Foehn asked with great curiosity. Gabriel's policy of not involving himself with anyone from the Gardens was a well-known fact, which played fine by him! Otherwise, his chances of scoring with the female population of Garden would be greatly reduced. They would all be vying for Gabe's attention!

"She was a member of my Dollet team." Gabriel said that in neutral tones, and thought to himself, **_'A most troublesome bitch.'_** He followed her prowess with narrowed eyes. As delicate as he knew she was, there was no chance in hell she could inflict any real damage to Uncle Wuss,**_ if _**she somehow managed to break through his defence that is, but he had to admit she was fast. In fact, her only chance of surviving close combat with anything or anyone larger than she was, would be her incredible speed. To be fast enough to dodge and escape…

"Shit! How come you always get to go on missions with the hottest babes, and I'm stuck babysittin' rookie SeeDs?" Foehn whined. He was staring at Ahnyang's tall and shapely body again. Ink-black hair was pulled back from an oval face into a long braid that most likely went past her waist, although it was hard to tell since she was blur of movement.

Gabriel took his gaze off the combat and stared at his friend with disbelieving eyes, "For fuck's sake, get it through your thick skull," He grabbed Foehn and turned him around so he could look him in the eye, "We. Are. SeeD." Irritated now, Gabriel released his friend and continued, "Not some fucking dating service. Maybe that's why you only get to go on shitty missions, and your ranking is going down instead of up!"

In typical Foehn style, he crossed his arms over his chest, ignored his friend's lecture, and continued to pursue his own interest, "Hey Gabe, introduce me to her, then I can ask her out to the Tri-Garden Festival!"

"Stay away from her, she'll make mincemeat out of you." Gabriel snarled, like hell he would introduce them.

"She don't look that strong to me."

"She's way smarter than you, moron. She'll get you with her tongue."

"Hyne, you promise! Can't wait to ask her!"

"For fuck's sake! Don't be such an ass and get your mind off the gutter!"

"Ahem! Guys…"

At the sound of Zell's voice, both young men turned to see the highly amused martial arts master listening in their conversation. Ahnyang was standing motionless in the middle of the gym, outside earshot staring at the three of them. Dark-brown almond shaped eyes stared stoically at the three men standing across the room from her. Her face was by no means a beautiful one, but it was a very interesting face. Everything about it was delicately etched, eyebrows, nose, cheekbones… Except for her lips, they were wide, almost pouty, but not quite.

Zell smiled and continued, "I'd like to ask you boys a small favour…"

§ § §

– _Trabia Garden Sub-Level Computer Labs, Access Restricted–_

Part-time Instructors and full-time System Administrators Lank and Port were busy fiddling with the Tri-Garden network when a yellow whirlwind in the form of Sylvie Kinneas descended on them, dragging behind her a very reluctant Mole. However, when the young man saw the calibre of the new state-of-the-art equipment displayed before him, he brightened up considerably.

"Hello Mr. Lank, Mr. Port!"

"Huh? How'd you get in here Sylvie …Mole? When did you get back, boy?" This was said by a very startled Lank, while his partner, Port, was hunkered behind a terminal too busy to even notice the interruption. Lank then asked his star student suspiciously, "Mole, you didn't _**hack** _your way in… Did ya?

"Awww, Mr. Lank! Don't tell me you forgot? **_You_** gave me access code!" Large indigo eyes stared at him, shining with innocence.

Lank's face fell, "Oh, I did… did I? Too bad… I was kinda hoping Mole here hacked his way into the new system so that we could iron out its weaknesses…" Suddenly his face lit up, and he rubbed his palms together with glee, "say boy, why don't you try hacking into the system now that you're here!"

Having said that, he just grabbed Mole and sat him before a terminal with the command, "Work away!" Mole reacted as if he was famished and someone had told him to eat as much as he wanted… Without even looking back at Sylvie, he sat down and did what he was told.

Sylvie just giggled, she had a soft spot for these two absent minded techies. They had taught her from the cradle all of her computer skills –which were considerable. She looked at Mole, now hunched over a terminal and shrugged. Even better, after they had finished playing around, she would have the three best techies in all four Gardens helping her with her little problem. In truth she could not imagine T-Garden without Lank and Port. They had been loyal followers of her mother since before she or Xander were even born.

Trabia Garden had born the blunt of Sorceress Edea's wrath. Unlike Balamb or Galbadia Garden, T-Garden had been almost completely destroyed by missiles. When Selphie had returned to Trabia, instead of finding the devastation she had feared, she had found the survivors in a reconstruction frenzy. Granted that many of her friends had perished, but it only made Selphie cherish even more those that were alive. As she made her rounds around the decimated complex, she had found Lank and Port busy trying to reconfigure whatever was left of T-Garden's network so that it could be up and running. They had even dubbed themselves the name **'Tech Squad'**. That Selphie had been ecstatic to see the two of them alive would be an understatement. After the way she greeted them, they would forever mention to anyone who cared to listen: "For being such a small girl, Selphie sure has a bone crushing hug!"

Selphie had been most afraid that Lank and Port had died in the blast, because their favourite haunt in T-Garden, the computer lab, had been completely destroyed by the explosion. She hadn't expected them to be alive, so her joy in seeing them had been immense. They had been saved by one of the instructors in the facility who had thought that both boys spent an unhealthy amount of time staring at a computer screen, and had ordered them outside to practice their somewhat weak combat skills.

From what Lank (the chattier one of the two) had told her, he and Port had been struggling to beat a puny Gayla monster, when they saw two missiles fly straight into T-Garden making a direct hit. Another three were incoming, but for some reason they missed their target, and flew right over them exploding into the sea north of the chocobo forest. Terrified out of their minds, they forgot completely about the monster, and started running back to T-Garden. They were lucky that the Gayla escaped, spooked no doubt by the explosion. It was only later that they found out that thanks to Selphie tampering with the missile launching system, three of the projectiles had completely missed their target; otherwise, there would be no T-Garden left, just a huge hole in the ground.

For Sylvie, that was ancient history, she also knew that it had been mainly through her mother's incessant fund-raising efforts that T-Garden had been rebuilt and was now better than ever. Even when her mom had agree to do that famous modelling session for _STYLISH YOU_ magazine (by the way, she had to remember to pick up a copy at the newsstands), she had refused to accept payment. Instead, she had insisted that part of the proceeds from its sale, go to fund the rebuilding of T-Garden. Of course, it was nice that she got to keep the stuff the wore for the photo shoots! The metallic belt made of golden links shaped like chocobo Sylvie was wearing now had been part of that loot.

Cheerfully plopping herself down in front of a terminal, Sylvie decided to wait for her techies by exchanging some online gossip with her friend Meijin Kumo over at B-Garden. She might not be there now, but it never stopped her from getting the juiciest gossip, specially about that hottie Gabriel. She had long given up on him. After all they had grown up together, and he treated her like a **_–Snort–_** little sister **_–Snort–_**… If he only knew that she kept an unofficial fan webpage on him (mostly unauthorized images) which registered more than a hundred thousand daily hits… Yeah… He would go ballistic…

§ § §

To be continued…


	9. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 8:** Summer Kisses, Winter Tears**

_Summer kisses, winter tears  
That was what he gave to me  
Never thought I'd travel all alone the trail of memory_

_Happy hours, lonely years  
But I guess I can't complain  
For I still recall the summer sun throughout the winter days…_

–Julee Cruise_–_

_- - - - - - - - - -__  
_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_2.05.01 AU (Second day of May, Year 1 After Ultimecia's Defeat)_

_Rinoa, Selphie and I went shopping into Balamb today. Selphie was complaining that the shops here were not as good as the ones you could find on Dollet, the capital of fashion and style, but none of us wanted to risk being mobbed by the paparazzi which seemed to have made Dollet their headquarters. At least in Balamb, I told her, we would be guaranteed a hassle free excursion. Rinoa agreed with me, and added that she would rather put her gils in Balamb than anywhere else because the people in the city had been so kind to her. Selphie was still protesting Balamb's lack of real _Funky _clothes when Rinoa started to wave her hands like crazy. Before any of us could do or say anything, Seifer Almasy was standing before us wearing his usual smirk, specially when he looked at me. At least his eyes, although sombre, had regained some of their lost spark. _

_More than Rinoa, more than Matron, Seifer had been the longest under Ultimecia's control. I know that Headmaster Cid had begged Seifer to return to B-Garden and take the Field Exam so he could finally become SeeD… He was absent when we held the party at Garden celebrating their release. Curious at the time (and to escape Selphie's annoying camcorder) I asked the Headmaster about it, all he told me was that Seifer was spending some time fishing in Balamb city with his posse and staying with Ma Dincht! I almost flipped when I heard that! I think I caught a twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes but maybe I imagined it… I even looked over at Zell who happened to be wolfing down as many hot-dogs as poor Susana could bring. Now, what would a serious girl like Susana Mendoza, head of the library committee, see in our Zell? This will forever remain a mystery to me._

_Oh yeah, going back to Seifer, he seemed more like his usual self (arrogant and cocky). It was strange to see him dressed in just a pair of plain jeans and a t-shirt, without his usual grey trench-coat with the fire-cross. I've heard from Matron that he was helping out at the docks. He certainly looked fit and tanned. Selphie was giving him a very funny look… I don't think Irvine would appreciate the look Selph was giving Seifer. I'm glad he wasn't there with us. Then I thought, what about Rinoa? Weren't they going out before? They seemed so at ease with each other, he even pulled her aside to tell her something that made her jump with happiness. I don't know about Selphie, but I was somewhat confused and indignant (on Squall's behalf, that is) to see Rinoa grab Seifer and hug him tightly. Wasn't she supposed to be with Squall now? After Seifer left, Selphie and I were dying to find out what he'd told her to make her so happy, but she was not saying a word… Oh well, it's none of my business._

_As to our '_shopping'_, neither Rinoa nor Selphie allowed me to buy anything I chose. Instead they pressured me to buy this outfit that looked good on me, but that in my opinion shows way too much skin (not to mention cleavage). They wouldn't hear any of my arguments and replied with a **"for Hyne's sakes, Quisty, you're barely nineteen not ninety-nine!"** Sure, now that I think about it, their outfits are even more __scanty than the one they made me purchase…_

_- - - - - - - - - - _

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_5.05.01 AU_

_I can't seem to put Seifer out of my mind. For all his arrogance, it was good to see a glimpse of his old smirky smile again yesterday. For too long his eyes had been blank, his body nothing but an empty shell. He was lucky that Fujin and Raijin went back for him at Lunatic Pandora, because from all accounts he seemed to have collapsed after we entered time compression. Having nowhere else to take him, they brought him back to B-Garden, where Matron had already been placed under house arrest by request of the interim Galbadia Government (they said it was on behalf of its citizens, but I think it was out of vengeance –they are a military government…)_

_According to Dr. Kadowaki, because Seifer had been under Ultimecia's control for so long, she had somehow been able to drain his life force across time and across space to feed her own. Had I not witness Adel junction Rinoa with my own eyes, I would've found that hard to believe. If Dr. Kadowaki's theory is correct, by defeating Ultimecia we actually saved Seifer's life, because she had been steadily siphoning his energy to influence the present. I for one am very glad to find out how powerful Ultimecia really was after we fought her and not before. I think that had we known the full extent of her power, our morale would've been so low that we would've probably not fought the way we did and win… _

_As it was, it took all six of us to take her down. And we were by no means unscathed by the fight or by the experience of travelling across time. I myself was suspended in limbo, desperately trying to find my sense of passing time. I knew that if I gave up, I would be swallowed by the nothingness that enveloped me. Perhaps out of all of us, Zell found it the easiest to return. His attachment to the present was strong, he told me that to return all he did was think about Ma Dincht and what she meant for him. Selphie had a very strong connection to the present also, her friends at Trabia, her strong desire to rebuild the Garden she loved. Irvine just wanted to be with Selphie, so when she made it to the present, so did he. Squall and Rinoa had promised to find each other near the flower field at the orphanage, and they did._

_As for me…what was it that pulled me back? Perhaps it was my sense of failure and my desire to right the wrong. Every time we fought him, the Seifer we knew seemed more and more distant, I felt that I had somehow failed him. I was admitted to Garden when I was 10. Unaware of our past together, I somehow felt drawn to both Squall and Seifer. Squall was younger, more quiet, and easy to boss around. Not so Seifer. He would always jeer at everything I did or said, and accused me of taking Squall's side. It's ironic that I was saved from limbo by my sense of failure to him, my need to face the present, to face him... When I finally made it back, I was so weak and exhausted that I had to be taken to the infirmary immediately. _

_It seems that time compression is exceedingly draining because we were all there in the infirmary (I didn't know at the time that Seifer was there too). I was the last one to make it back. Before I fell asleep, I noticed that Matron was there mothering all of us and that everyone looked tired and pale. Nonetheless, knowing that we were all safe, made us feel better and we were discharged after a few days._

_As for Seifer, he was in a coma for more than a month. Like Matron, he too had been placed under _'House arrest'_ by request of Galbadia, and they were waiting for him to _'wake'_ so that they could proceed with the trial. To everyone's surprise, Rinoa was arrested as well, SeeD from G-Garden were waiting to get her outside B-Garden. The Town of Windhill wanted her charged for freeing Sorceress Adel. I couldn't understand what their problem was… If the people of Esthar had no problems with Rinoa, why would the people of a faraway place like Windhill? _

_Fortunately, Rinoa was able to stay in B-Garden because Headmaster Cid refused to release her and also denied entry into B-Garden to the G-Garden SeeD. As it was, we all slept through all that since we were all flat out…_

_All I remember from that horrible horrible month was how Matron looked so worried and so sad. She barely left Seifer's side. We all offered to sit in for her so she could take a break. Cid and Squall would come whenever their busy schedules allowed them to, even Zell. Although there was no love lost between him and Seifer, Zell was genuinely fond of Matron and wanted to alleviate her suffering. I must admit that to see him just lying there, so helpless, so deadly pale, all vitality drained out of him made my heart constrict and my throat hurt. In the end, Seifer had also fulfilled the part destined for him. (Squall told me that he had gone to the past, when we were all little, and had met Matron and seen himself as a little boy! He had also witnessed Ultimecia pass on her sorceress powers to Matron. So… what does it mean? Did Matron know everything beforehand, before it happened?)_

_During the trials that took place last July all of the accused –Matron, Rinoa and Seifer, were under Balamb Garden custody. Both Headmaster Cid and President Loire wielded their considerable political influence to make this possible. I've heard rumours that General Caraway tried to intervene on behalf of his estranged daughter, but he had to be very careful because he was acting as the interim President of the Republic of Galbadia. Granted that he's a rather cold man, but I never understood why Rinoa resents him so much. Did she ever consider that to help her he had to go against the wishes of the Galbadia State which wanted to have all three of them executed?_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_11.05.01 AU_

_Nothing much to write about… haven't done so for a while but decided to just jot down random thoughts today just to keep my journal going._

_My classes were the same as usual._

_Saw Fujin in the cafeteria and she looked… happy? Is this word even compatible with the name Fujin? What's going on? Raijin was absent, but I knew that usually one of the posse would be with Seifer whenever the other couldn't…_

_Oh, by the way, thanks Rinoa, you're a pal! I barely managed to avoid Selphie today. I was told by Rinoa that she's thinking about organizing another Garden Festival and she has that look on her face! I feel so_ _sorry for Irvine (being her boyfriend, he's got no choice) and for poor Zell (she managed to lure him with a hot-dog). Really, Zell! you should interpret this as a signal to give those things up, they're unhealthy and fat for you!_

_My inbox is clogged again with too much fan-mail. Give it a break people and get a life! I'll have to ask Selphie, our email queen, (after she's finished with 'volunteer' draft) to see whether I can get emails from authorized people only… This is very frustrating!_

_Saw Squall leaving Garden with his Gunblade Lionhart holstered to the side. I wonder where he's going armed like that? _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_15.05.01 AU_

_I helped Matron prepare a vacant SeeD room for a new cadet. She had asked me earlier this week, but I was not free until today. I thought her request was a bit strange since B-Garden Housekeeping usually takes care of these matters. When I asked her why she was doing this, Matron just laughed and told me that since all of us were grown, she wanted to be kept busy doing something. I must say that Matron seems pretty cheerful these past few days. It makes me glad. As I was walking back to my quarters, it occurred to me that it was weird that a cadet would be given a room usually reserved for SeeD…_

_In any case, I had no time to speculate, there were at least two huge stacks of assignments sitting on my desk waiting to be marked…_

_Remind myself to meet Rinoa and Selphie tomorrow by the front gate, we're going over to watch a movie in Balamb called** "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears."** Should we invite Susana Mendoza, the library girl, to come with us? I was asked separately by Rinoa and Selphie. My reply to both: if you like her ask her to come, but don't invite someone just because you think they're your friend's girlfriend. Now that I think about that, all she really does is feed Zell with hot-dogs… Does he even appreciate Susana's efforts? I'm very fond of Zell, but he can be so dim sometimes… _

_None of the guys wants to come with us, but they didn't come out and say "Ugh! I'm not watching some chick flick!" No, no. They each came up with some lame excuse, Squall had his usual I-have-too-much-work-to-do. Irvine claimed having to study extra hard for his up and coming written SeeD exam. And Zell just stuttered something about having something that he had to '_see to_' –to quote his exact words._

_I was leaving the infirmary after a nice visit with Dr. Kadowaki when I saw Squall enter Garden (when did he leave?)… His prized Lionhart Gunblade was holstered, as usual, to the side, but he looked like he's fallen on a ditch or something. His clothes were ripped in places and heavily soiled. When he saw me, he just nodded and kept going in the direction of his dorm. Of course, I wanted to ask him (Ok, more like interrogate) what happened but he had that don't-ask look plastered all over._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_16.05.01 AU_

_Ambush? Kidnapping or both? After my session at the Training Centre with Xu (sometimes we train together), Rinoa and Selphie joined me for lunch and then followed me to my room. This by itself is not usual since we usually do go to each other's rooms to have a little chat, but today? When I knew they should be getting ready to go out? I should've suspected something. They figured (correctly) that I would never wear the outfit they made me buy in Balamb, so they were in my room to ensure that I would be putting it on for our outing to the movies… Oh, man! the things you gotta do for the sake of friendship!_

_The line-up was so long and the movie was so pathetic, that the only good thing about the entire experience was the popcorn! There was also this guy seated next to me who couldn't keep his eyes on the screen and his hands to himself. For Hyne's sakes his girlfriend was seated next to him! I finally got tired of his lecherous looks down my chest and of his pawing. I reached over and pressed my index finger on a particular pressure point located on his neck and he was out in an instant. I looked surreptitiously at his girlfriend, but it seems she was used to having her boyfriend fall asleep on her…_

_I know that Rinoa and Selphie really enjoyed the movie, their eyes were red from too much crying and they kept on talking about how sad they found the ending. I kept my opinions to myself and just nodded at everything they said from time to time. The three of us were headed to our usual after-the-movies café when we saw Seifer strolling down the street with a very pretty girl clinging to his arm. He had a bored look on his face, but she seemed to be very animated. Again, without even asking us, Rinoa yelled Seifer's name and called him over to join us. From what I could see, the girl didn't seem too happy about the interruption (she pouted) but Seifer actually smiled (yep, not smirk but smile) at us. Was it my imagination or did his eyes widen a bit when they saw me?_

_I resigned myself to being nice to the girl (she didn't look very friendly) when Seifer did something I didn't expect(I assumed Seifer would sit on the empty chair next to Rinoa), he sat on the chair next to me and left his girlfriend (at least from what I've seen…) sit next to Rinoa. For a split second, there was an awkward silence with all of us staring at each other, then everyone starting talking at the same time. Rinoa wanted to know where Seifer was heading. Selphie (nosy as usual) asked the girl Seifer was with, casually, if they were on a date. The girl wanted to know who we were (she looked pretty hostile). Seifer and I stood up at the same time saying that we would go inside to get drinks. _

_With his usual arrogance, Seifer just grabbed my arm, said a **"Let's go instructor"** and 'guided' me inside. Since I didn't want to cause a scene in front of everyone (He knew this, of course) I just glared at him and got his usual smirk in return. I tried to dislodge my arm from his grasp, discreetly, but he just tightened his grip. (I still have his fingers imprinted on my arm, the jerk!) _

_To make things worse, when we arrived at the counter, Fred Jenssen, the guy who usually takes our order in the coffee house, looked me over and let out a wolfish whistle (I knew wearing the outfit was a bad idea). Instead of trying his usual pick up lines like, **"Hey, beautiful!"** or **"When will you go out with me…"** he just stared at my cleavage and exclaimed, **"Wow!"** To my surprise, before I could even react to Jenssen's disgusting ogling, Seifer had grabbed the poor guy's shirt, shook him a bit and lifted him off the floor with only one hand! Seifer ignored my efforts to make him release Jenssen, and said in a very low voice to the terrified guy, **"Don't you even look at her again or I might be tempted to rearrange your not-so-pretty face into somethin' even uglier…"**__After saying that, he released the poor man who quickly crumbled to the floor._

_After he finished threatening Jenssen, Seifer just grabbed me again and dragged me out of the coffee shop! I was so angry and so embarrassed! Never in a million years would I imagine that Seifer might be causing such a scene! And in my favourite coffee shop! We were barely out of there when I dug in my heels and made him stop. I then rounded on him (I was sooo furious) and told him what I thought of his callous behaviour (Rinoa later told me that with every word I said I would thump my index finger on Seifer's chest). Instead of apologizing, Seifer sneered at me and asked if I, an instructor at B-Garden, liked to be leered at and if that was the reason I was wearing clothes that left nothing to the imagination. _

_Neither of us saw it coming, but as in slow-motion, I raised my hand and slapped his face leaving the red imprint of my palm on his cheek. Quick as lightning he caught my wrist and told me that he would let it go this time (the nerve of him! As if he didn't deserve it!), but that he would not be answerable to consequences if I slapped him again._

_I, for one, would rather never see him again, let alone slap him._

§ § §

To be continued…


	10. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 9:** The Good, The Bad And The Ugly**

– _Near Entrance to Esthar City_–

"SEIFER! LOOK OUT!"

A huge clawed hand had suddenly sprung out of the ground just less than a mere metre away from their approaching glide car. The centre of the hand was dominated by a large crimson eye staring straight at them with malevolence. Without any warning the eye closed, and the claw made a swipe at them.

"I SEE IT! HANG-ON, QUIS!"

Seifer hit the side boosters at max which made their vehicle swerved wildly, but at least it avoided the grasping hand. Barely. Once he managed to stabilize the car, he noticed that the clawed hand had disappeared. Knowing that being stationary was not a good idea, he kept steering the car in a hap-hazard zigzag pattern all the while scouting the area. After a few minutes of doing this, with no monsters resurfacing, Seifer stopped the car.

"What the **_fuck_** was that?"

"If it weren't for that horrible crimson eye in the middle of its palm, I would've thought that it was a particularly large Lefty with very nasty claws…"

"I don't like this!"

"I think we should just wait for it to resurface again and take it on." It was Quistis who said this calmly as if she were saying,_ 'Oh, it's raining, we'll need an umbrella.'_

Sea-green eyes darkened ominously as a deep masculine voice ordered, "**_I_** will take the thing on to distract it, and **_you_** will drive the car like crazy back to Garden and bring back reinforcement."

"No."

She didn't argue with him, she didn't offer any explanations. She didn't wait for him to answer back either. She just got out of the car, lifted her long skirt, and uncoiled from her left thigh her 'formal-wear' whip, the _Titania's Wisp_, made with Torama tendrils, delicate and lethal at the same time. With her weapon in hand, she looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Seifer just scowled ferociously and got out of the vehicle, slamming the door in the process. He then went to open the back of their glide car to take out his prized _Hyperion_ Gunblade.

"Shiva with you?" It was more a statement than a real question. He slammed the rear door with a satisfying thud, and stomped over to join Quistis.

She nodded and asked automatically, "You?"

"Tiamat."

She'd already known the answer, before asking the question. There was a very strange synergy between Seifer and the fallen GF. After helping them defeat Ultimecia in the future, the other GF's had brought Tiamat back with them to the present. No one had known of this, but then not much was really known about these creatures they called Guardian Forces. Apparently when Ultimecia was defeated, her hold on Tiamat weakened and since he had been defeated himself, he was allowing his energy to fade when the other GF's prevented him from doing so by having Eden absorb him.

After waiting for a few tense minutes of constantly surveying the desolate desert landscape that separated Esthar City from E-Garden, Seifer stared in the direction of Esthar City lights and frowned. Quistis followed his gaze.

"You're thinking that it was an ambush." It was not a question.

"Nah… More like a warning. Had the thing really tried, it could've crushed us, but it let us go…"

"A warning? By whom? By what? Why?"

"Fuck if I knew… Tch, let's just get outta here, we have to contact Squall and might as well brief Laguna in person about this." Without needing her to ask, he answered her silent question, "You look perfect Quis, not even a hair outta place."

When he saw that she was looking pointedly at _Hyperion_, he looped an arm around her waist, and bent down to give her a kiss. With a sigh, Quistis opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the caress, but before they got carried away (They **_were_** in the middle of the desert), she put a hand on his chest to gently push him away.

"I'm still beating the shit outta anyone who looks at you funny… Just so you know," Seifer said huskily against her lips before letting her go.

Quistis whisked out an handkerchief and started to wipe his mouth saying softly, "No one's going to feel very threatened by you, loverboy, if you insist on wearing this particular shade of red."

He resisted the impulse to kiss her again, and gallantly held the car door open for her. Once she was seated securely inside, he climbed into the driver's seat and started up the vehicle. This time, the drive to the Presidential Palace was without incident.

§ § §

–_Grand Ballroom, Esthar Presidential Palace –_

The years had been very kind to Laguna Loire, the longest serving elected President of any country. Some Estharians have even joked of just making him President for Life, to save themselves the bother of going to the polls every six years. His political opponents had labelled Laguna a goofball, a klutz and a spaz, but still he kept on winning term after term. Even some years ago, when he had wanted to retire from office to enjoy more time with his grandchildren, the people of Esthar had asked him in overwhelming numbers to continue. What his opponents, all members of the elites, never understood is that those very characteristics they themselves found lacking in the President, endeared him to the people of Esthar.

Laguna was a people's president, his only concern was to improve their lives, not to increase his own political power; although, of course, the maquiavellian nature of politics demanded the latter in order to achieve the former. Nevertheless, under his mandate the country had thrived. Although far from being utopia, most Estharians were an educated, contented people living comfortable and peaceful lives.

The wealth of the nation was obvious in the well-kept opulence of the Presidential Palace. Glittering crystal chandeliers illuminated the interior of the enormous Grand Ballroom, their lights reflected on the highly polished mirrors that lined the walls of the room. The huge glass doors that gave access to a series of interconnected balconies overlooking the Capital were framed by gorgeous blue and gold brocade curtains. The sumptuous gilt furnishings and delicate metal filigree ornamentation hailed back to Esthar's Imperial past, when the predominant style was mainly baroque.

Most Estharians kept it hushed, but the Palace was the last remnant of Sorceress Adel's flights of self-grandeur. She had commissioned the architects to build her a palace so beautiful and so glorious that it would have no equal anywhere else in the world. A residence that would reflect the technological advances of her 'reign' and at the same time befit 'her power, beauty and magnificence.' After conferring with the members of Adel's inner circle, the architects Naumura and Weisz submitted the plans of the present structure.

The _Palace of Adel the Magnificent_, as it was to be named, would be an impressively modern and streamlined circular structure, made of steel, glass and crystal rock. Standing well over 150 stories high, the Palace dominated the Estharian skyline, the exterior was made to imitate a perfectly cut diamond, so that when the sun shone on it, it would sparkle. For the interior, the architects had proposed an Estharian Baroque Imperial style to which they knew the sorceress was very partial. The Estharian Empire was the only other period in the history of Esthar that could be compared to Adel's incredibly cruel and bloody reign.

Beautifully dressed and bejewelled people moved around the magnificently appointed ballroom either tasting the delicacies from the lavishly displayed buffet tables, chatting with each other, or dancing to the music of the playing orchestra. On a breezy corner near an open archway, the President of Esthar was standing next to his two best friends, Kiros Seagill, a judge of the Estharian Supreme Court, and Ward Zabac, Esthar's Minister of Education. The latter two looked resignedly at their friend. They knew that Laguna's left knee was beginning to twitch. It usually did whenever they were in this kind of social gathering.

No matter what anyone did or tried, Laguna would never become a picture of sartorial perfection. He always managed to look a bit askew in formal wear. As if out of mutual consent both Laguna and his tuxedo knew that they were not made for each other, but had to make do… For the grand occasion, he wore his greying shoulder-length hair neatly tied behind his back, and somehow managed to look a bit lost. Anyone not knowing whom he was, would've probably thought that he was in the wrong place, and called in Palace Security… Nevertheless, in spite of his less than elegant figure, Laguna was an extremely popular person in the ballroom. Everyone knew of his favourite hiding spot, and sought him out there!

When Ellone Piet entered the reception accompanied by her husband, Dr. Johannes Piet Director of Esthar's Aerospace and Aeronautic Research Facility, her eyes zoomed to where she knew Uncle Laguna would be stationed, near his favourite potted plant and flanked by his two best friends. Husband in tow and with a huge smile on her lovely face, she walked over to where Laguna was standing and gave him a bone-crushing hug, before proceeding to do the same with Kiros and Ward. Used to the commotion, Johan just stood to the side and exchanged verbal greetings with everyone.

"Uncle Laguna! It's so good to see you!" She craned her neck looking for two familiar faces, "Where are Quisty and Seify? I thought they would be around?"

"I dunno… They're late." Laguna replied and then winked at Ellone, "I wouldn't be surprised if Quistis has to drag Seifer over, y'know how much he loves these smooching sessions…"

Ellone covered her mouth and giggled discreetly. The aversion that Squall and Seifer felt for this type of reception had become a running joke in the family. However, they each disliked it for completely different reasons. Squall's aversion stemmed from the very core of his being, he hated being weaponless and surrounded by a crowd. As for Seifer, he just hated having to be nice to people he would rather cut down with _Hyperion_, like Laguna's Press Secretary, Frederic Jenssen, for example. In Seifer's opinion, the man spent too much time ogling Quistis, and not enough of it doing his job.

To Seifer's credit, he usually didn't put up such too much fuss when other people admired Quistis. As far as he was concerned, they could admired all they wanted as long as they kept their distance. He knew that Quistis was more than capable of taking care of herself. He only objected to certain people, and poor Jenssen apparently was on the top of the list, right alongside the paparazzi. Something to do with some past history the three of them have seemed to share.

"Where is Foehn?" Johan asked, looking around to see if he could find Laguna's grandson, who could usually be found chatting away surrounded by a cluster of young ladies… Piet was quite fond of the cheerful young man.

Laguna placed a hand behind his neck and said ruefully, "Poor Foehn was ordered back to Balamb Garden by Squall…"

Ellone smiled sympathetically at him, disappointed herself at having missed the boy, "I was looking forward to seeing him. He's so sweet, Uncle Laguna! He looks just like you!"

"He has even started to imitate the way Laguna dressed back in the old days," added Kiros and Ward waved his hands.

"Ward says that it can't be good…" Forever Kiros seemed to have an uncanny way of interpreting Ward's gestures, "Laguna had and still has a horrible sense of style."

"Hey, guys! Wait a minute…" Laguna started to protest but his voice dwindled. He looked like he had seen a apparition on the ballroom floor.

The others followed his line of vision. What they saw made Kiros, Ward and Ellone gasp. Johan gazed at the person to whom all four pairs of eyes seemed to be glued, and found just an ordinary woman, not very tall, with shoulder length brown hair dancing with a man wearing the dress uniform of the Duke of Dollet's elite guard. Now that he thought about it, the woman's face looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't seem to be able to place it right away. He took one look at Ellone's stunned face and arched an eyebrow, maybe after they all got over their initial surprise they might take pity on him and explain why the woman had wrestled such a reaction from them.

§ § §

–_Windhill Inn, Xander's Room–_

Xander looked up from his laptop when he heard the sound of his door being opened and then slammed shut.

"So, you guys were successful? Did you get any information from Mrs. Olson?"

He had sent Rei and Zoltan out to question the widow of the victim, Mrs. Ross –the flower shop owner– had told them about.

"Nope. It seems the guy had been going for walks around that area for the past two years, even during Lunar Cry Season and nothin' has ever happened to him." Zoltan said. For once he exercised some caution and refrained from telling Xander that the widow, who was young and cute looking, had been weeping all over poor Rei, who had stood the assault stoically, even lending her a large handkerchief.

"Correction. There is useful information to be gleamed from the visit. The victim was young and had Galbadia military training, so a normal Lefty should not have posed too much of a problem for such a person." Rei crossed his arms over his chest and said more pensively, "He also went for his walks fully armed, therefore whatever took him down cannot have been an ordinary monster."

Xander stared at Rei thoughtfully, "You have a good point there..."

"You mean the poor guy was taken out by one of those clawed thingies like the one that almost got me?"

Zoltan was getting excited, stuff was about to happen and he liked that.

"No." Xander answered him, "What Rei means, is that the clawed Lefty that grabbed you might not have been the **_only_** unusual monster this area has seen."

"Oh!" Zoltan tried to sound like he understood everything.

"In any case, the information you have brought seems to pose more questions than actually answering the original one we had..."

"Hmm...like why would a fully trained member of the Galbadian military move to this backwater town two years ago?" Rei was brainstorming out loud.

Xander added, "And why would he choose to '_take a walk_' fully armed on that particular area? From what we have seen, that's one of the ugliest areas in all of Windhill, perhaps the ugliest... Not where **_I_** would choose to go for a nice scenic walk."

"Yeah, and it's reaaally far from his house!" Zoltan piped in. He was in his _pensive_ mode, seated on a chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown of deep concentration on his face.

At his comment, the two older SeeD just looked at him startled and then gave him a wide grin. They both stood up and approached him menacingly... Before Zoltan could say**_ 'Ugh!'_**, they pounced on him. On one side Xander grabbed him by the neck with one arm and with the other fisted, mussed his hair. On the other side Rei did the same.

"Yeow! Hey! Hey, guys! What're you doin'!" Zoltan protested loudly, "Like, hey! you're messin' my hair!"

Rei and Xander let go at the same time, making Zoltan fall on the hardwood floor, rear first.

"Ouch!" Poor Zoltan protested again and with a hand massaging his tender backside stared at the other two accusingly, "What did'ya do that for?"

"We were thankin' ya!" Answered Xander with a smile, "For once, you actually said something useful."

Zoltan brightened at the compliment, "I did, didn't I?" His chest was getting puffed up.

"Yeah, just don't make me regret saying it, kid, OK?" After saying this, Xander face became serious, "Shortly after you guys left for Mrs. Olsen's, I did some snooping around Windhill's morgue."

"Eewww!" This was Zoltan's only remark.

"And?" Rei prompted his friend after casting the youngest SeeD a disgusted look.

"They had plenty of casualties caused by the usual suspects. Bodies poisoned or crushed to death by a Lefty or paralysed and suffocated by a caterchipiller... But they don't have a body for Peter Olsen, not even bones. No clothing. Nothing. I spoke to the morgue's personnel and they all told me the same story: the local police could find no traces of Peter Olsen after he was reported missing last week. He seems to have just vanished into the thin air."

"I don't like this." Rei's face was grave, "This incident shares too many similarities with

the unresolved case of the disappearing couple over at TUK. There has also been several reports of people missing in Timber, their bodies never found. Of course, the source of this information is majorly unofficial."

"But, why would people around here say that Mr. Olsen was crushed by a Lefty?" Zoltan asked sounding very confused.

"Now, Zol, that's a very good question that I would like to have answered..." Xander replied pensively

"So, what do we do now?" Zoltan wanted action.

"We proceed as planned. I send B-Garden the latest information we have gathered and await new orders. Meanwhile, we keep doin' what we've been hired to do, except that we always do our rounds fully junctioned **_with_** a full stock of magic." Xander said meaningfully, and looked at Zoltan sternly, "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Zoltan answered looking shamefaced, he always forgot to junction Ifrit.

Xander relented, **_'This is the kid's first mission after all...'_** He said to Zoltan, "Since our tour of duty is done for today, why don't you just go around town and relax? It'll do ya good, kid."

"Hey! Why don't we meet those girls again to see if we can get some more information from them?" Zoltan asked enthusiastically.

"You mean when you were not flirting with them?" Rei remarked dryly, raising a dark eyebrow. Everyone in the room knew that he had thought the exercise to have been a sheer waste of time.

"Hey, Xander did it too! And... and you got your fair share of attention!"

"Did it look like I was enjoying myself?"

"If Sylvie ever finds out that those girls were all over you, specially the blonde... " Zoltan started to say, he was being his usual tactless self.

"Oh, shush it, Zol! Like that flirtin' sister of mine's got anything to complain 'bout!" Xander interrupted him abruptly **_'Kid, you don't wanna see Rei angry, not healthy...'_** "Anyway, like I was sayin', you two are free to go. I need to contact Commander Squall immediately."

After taking a peek at Rei, Zoltan got the hint and said, "OK, I'm outta here. See ya!"

"Keep your communicator open at all times!" Xander yelled out. He saw Zoltan nod before he left the room.

"Do you think it was wise to let the kid loose around town like that?" Rei asked and added, "If anything happens to him, aunt Zuleima will have our asses."

Xander looked up and grinned, "How about if you keep the kid company? Kinda like keepin' him outta trouble?"

Rei stood up and gave his friend a sour look, "You know, you're not so different from your sister after all..." Having said that he left the room to go after Zoltan, slamming the door in the process. Xander sighed and started on his report for the Commander.

§ § §

To be continued…


	11. A Sense of Insufferable Gloom

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 10: **A Sense Of Insufferable Gloom**

Through the neverending corridors of the winding structure, cold stone and stale air are the only witnesses of their passage.

On and on and on…

The difficult toil of their heavy march elicit no resounding echoes from the thick walls, and no footprints are left on the soft ground.

Light and shadow holds no meaning to them.

They feel the flow of time like the echoes of the echoes of a distant solitary drop of water.

The ascent is painful, yet they feel no pain.

Some fade and disappear—_the weaker ones_.

The rest doggedly keep on.

The voice is their only reality.

A voice that cannot be ignored.

* * *

To be continued…


	12. A Useless Enchantment

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 11: **A Useless Enchantment**

_Encantamiento inútil,  
Encantamiento inútil, 12:60,  
Encantamiento inútil, no es el tiempo,  
Encantamiento inútil. _

_La torre ya cayó,  
Revelaciones por televisión,  
Sampleos, loops, edición, 12:60. _

_Me escurriré  
Como agua de entre la retícula,  
Mi corazón,  
Una minúscula porción  
De la infinita vastedad  
De este mar de amor._

–Café Tacuba–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_18.05.01 AU_

_I can't believe it! But it's official. Seifer's returning to B-Garden. This morning Headmaster Cid made the announcement on Garden's P.A. I wonder if Seifer will appreciate such a public announcement… Just this afternoon, I had a brief meeting with Squall and the Headmaster. They want me to be Seifer' as well as Irvine's SeeD support during their Field Exam, which will take place before the end of this month. I can understand their reason for pairing these two, besides being on a level beyond that of any high-ranking SeeD (forget about the rookies), they are also too advanced to participate in the usual Field Exam. They are probably only a handful of people who can actually be of any real support to them; however… I wonder if either the Headmaster or Squall realize what it is that they're asking me to do._

_I'm not furious at Seifer anymore, but our relationship has always been a very difficult one. I wonder if I can even evaluate his performance with any degree of equanimity. I refuse to feel sorry for slapping him, he was asking for it. How dare he insult me? Humph, and all that talk about consequences… I would like to see him try! I better just drop the subject because thinking about it upsets me!_

_I don't mind being Irv's SeeD support, I already figured they would ask me to do it. Squall can't do it because he's the Commander, and Zell is out of the question, simply because Irvine would never take him seriously. And Selphie? Well… Any evaluation coming from Selph about her _'honey-bunny'_ would always be highly suspect, and Irvine would not like to have that hanging over him. He doesn't deserve it, he has worked hard enough. Which leaves just me… _

_Is Seifer even ready to do the Field Exam? Given the situation between us now, will he even listen to what I have to say? Will he be doomed to always fail for insubordination? He's always been the consummate soldier. I think fighting is in his blood. His_ attack _scores were always extremely high (if not perfect), but his_ attitude_ score was non-existent or in the minus most of the time! Why am I hyperventilating about this? He knows the rules! He knows what's needed to pass. The question is, will he keep his temper in check enough to get it done? All I can hope is that everyone has learnt their lesson… That he has learnt some discipline, that the Headmaster has learnt to put Seifer in a mission where he can think and act for himself, instead of being led like cattle in a herd (I must admit… most Field Exams feel a lot like driving a pack of sheep to a certain point, and then have them withdraw…) _

_Now that I think about it, Irv is a bit of a loose cannon himself! What am I getting myself into? _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_19.05.01 AU_

_I'm so relieved! The confrontation with Seifer that I thought would happen, didn't… He won't be coming to B-Garden until next week! According to Xu, he's to do the written exam the day after he returns, and the Field Exam three days later. I've no doubt he'll pass the written part. I've always considered him a difficult student, but never a stupid one, far from it. He and Squall have always been the top of their class (I'll go to my grave before I let Seifer know I think that!). _

_Now that I've calmed down, I can look back at all the little things that hinted of his imminent return: Fujin's strange happiness, Matron's cheerfulness and the special care she took in preparing a room (reserved normally for SeeD) on behalf of some unknown cadet. That time during our shopping spree in Balamb, he must've told Rinoa about his decision… That must've been the reason she was so happy and hugged him._

_I both admire and envy Rinoa, she has an incredibly forgiving nature (from which her father seems to be excluded…I know… Catty remark, Quis!) To be able to forgive someone who has tossed you into practically a monster is amazing. Rinoa even testified on Seifer's defence during the trials. I'm not sure I would be able to, even if I knew deep inside that the person was not being himself… I hope I never have to find out first-hand. During the Sorceress Trials (as the media had dubbed them) Seifer, Rinoa and Matron got very close, a closeness brought forth by a sense of shared misery and pain. _

_Guilt, sorrow, regret… The trials brought all those feelings to the forefront. I would have preferred to kill myself than to have the whole world point an accusing finger at me, blaming me for all their ills, all their troubles. Some of the testimony was true, I could see it in the witnesses' eyes, but for every truth, there were at least ten opportunists waiting to cash in on the uproar. The courtroom was jam packed with media people of all kinds: newspapers, television, magazines, scandal rags, you name it. They were there. A Trabian movie producer was present because he wanted to make a film version._

_It's impossible to express how disgusted, how distressed I was when some of those people approached me (even offered me money, the bastards!) for an exclusive interview. As if it were all a joke to them, as if everything was some kind of circus catering to the sick delight of their audiences! Oh, the movie mogul wanted me to star in his film. He was lucky my _Save the Queen_ was not allowed around the courts or he would've had a taste of what Malboro tentacles can do to a body…_

_Throughout the entire ordeal, Seifer –barely recovered from his coma – just sat there, a blank expression on his face. His green gaze, usually so full of caustic fire, was vacuous. As if only his body was present, not his mind, not his spirit. When he had to take the witness stand, he just answered in monosyllables or with one word –Fujin style– answers, looking straight into the eyes of the interrogator with that empty stare. (Mr. Kiros Seagill , who had acted as Seifer's council, told me later that it felt downright creepy looking into Seifer's eyes, as if he were speaking to an empty shell, someone that just wasn't there…)_

_Matron loves all of us orphanage kids as if we were her own, but now she shares a deeper bond with Seifer –beyond that of parent and child– that the rest of us cannot aspire to, the bond of shared experience, of shared suffering. They have both been made to do and witness things that are best kept unsaid. In many ways the Sorceress Trials were a horrendous experience, but they were also cathartic for all of us. We were finally allowed to exorcise some of the demons riding on our back. Most importantly, we were able to forgive ourselves for our role in it, and by exonerating ourselves, forgive Seifer's role in it as well. All of us orphanage children, Rinoa too, had been in a sense the pawns of destiny._

_On a lighter note, now I know why Seifer's return to B-Garden was delayed… According to Zell (he was annoyed when he told me), Ma Dincht has grown rather fond of Seifer and was very sad to see him leave, so Seifer (he apparently returns her affection) delayed his departure one week. Matron, who visits them in Balamb very often, also told me (she was outright laughing) that Ma Dincht has commandeered her other _'son' _(that is Zell, not Seifer) to have dinner at home every night until Seifer's return to Garden! She wanted Zell to 'ease' Seifer's integration into Garden! Although I do think Zell has made his peace with Seifer, I still hope those two won't end up killing each other…_

_NOTE to myself: In between classes, I have another meeting scheduled with Squall and the Headmaster tomorrow. I know that people around Garden call me by the stupid name of _'Ice Queen'_, but I dare anyone to actually have a life when they've got so much on their plate as I do…_

_I saw Squall leaving Garden again with his prized Gunblade. I bet that upon his return he will be all roughed-up… What's going on with him? I casually mentioned it to Selph –she is the queen of gossip– but nothing. She's as clueless as I am, but now she'll be on the lookout…_

_Light bulb lights over my head! I'm so dumb! Rinoa! Of course, Rinoa would know what's going on. I can't wait to ask her. I guess I'm as curious as anybody else! It's human nature…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_20.05.01 AU_

_This morning I had my meeting with Squall and the Headmaster. The news are not good. It seems that Headmaster Martine from Galbadia Garden wants to change the way SeeD Field Exams are conducted, and he wants it done before old Edgar Fabiani retires as Trabia Garden's Headmaster… If Martine is to have his way, both Seifer and Irvine might have to take their SeeD Field Exams in G-Garden, which means they will never become SeeD. From what I've seen during the trials, Martine really hates Seifer, and will do anything to make him fall. As for Irvine, they are not overly fond of him over there either, since they regard him as a traitor for having sided with us… It seems to me that you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't._

_I know that Squall and Headmaster Cid will delay this as much as possible, or at least until both Seifer and Irvine have had their SFE. This is just great! It seems now that the onus here is on me… Those two cannot fail this opportunity. It will be the only one! Once Martine manages to change Garden Statutes, and he will because Fabiani has always been a close ally of his, Irv's and Seifer's chances to become SeeD will be reduced to nil._

_About the Field Exam Mission, we are going back to Centra Ruins, where we found and fought Odin and the Tonberry King. According to the information Garden received from the nearby town of Nectar on the peninsula with the same name, there has been very unusual monster activity going on around the area of the Ruins. It seems that several prominent townspeople have disappeared mysteriously from their homes, and upon further investigation, they found traces of their belongings (as in bits of hair, skin and torn clothes) near the entrance to the ruins. _

_The town of Nectar wants us to investigate the ruins, and find out what happened to them. They also want this mission to be highly confidential since any leak to the media might ruin their extremely lucrative chocobo racing season. Apparently they have been negotiating with some important Galbadian Bank to finance the construction of a huge chocobo racing dome complex._

_After the briefing, I just stared at both the Headmaster and Squall without saying a word. I was too speechless to say anything! This was no ordinary done-in-a-few-hours Field Exam, it was a hynedamned top level mission! Oh hell, I better prepare myself mentally for it, since I've no doubt in my mind that it will be a gruelling one! The only thing that might prevent us from going would be if they failed their written component, but Irvine has already passed his, and there's no doubt in my mind that Seifer will pass as well… (He's written it often enough in the past!)_

_Small footnote: I found out the reason Squall leaves clean and comes back full of dirt! He has been exchanging Gunblade blows with Seifer near the Fire Cave! Apparently the two of them reconciled sometime after the trial (officiated by Rinoa) and agreed to train together! (There's really no one else in Garden Squall can truly practice with…) So that every other day in the afternoon, they meet at the entrance to Ifrit's Cave, and try to beat the crap out of each other. Men! They will always be boys! I didn't even have to ask Rinoa about it, Squall told me himself when –once again– I spotted his return looking as if he had rolled in dirt for no reason whatsoever. He told me that Seifer looks the same, and that Ma Dincht scolds him constantly! (I would gladly become a fly on the wall just so I could witness the scene…)_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_21.05.01 AU_

_I had to go into Balamb today because I was running errands for Selphie. (Yep, she got me in the end… ) I went by myself because everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, has been drafted to help Selphie organize the Garden Festival! How does she do it? She even got Squall! _

_Being such a beautiful day, I decided to walk into town instead of driving. As long as I had my whip _Save the Queen_, I could more than handle any monster that came my way. (Although I wouldn't have liked to encounter a T-Rexaur)._

_Upon arrival to town (Balamb is really closer to being a city), I went directly to _Franny's,_ the largest department store in the shopping district, and spent quite a bit of time there getting the various items on the list that Selphie had given me. Some of the things she asked me to get make no sense to me… Like, water crystals? Oh, well, I guess she knows what she's doing… To save money, I decided to carry the smaller items with me, and just have the larger ones delivered. The store clerk had promised that they would be in B-Garden by tomorrow morning. He was a rather nice young man. When he found out that I didn't come by car he offered to drive me home, but I declined his kind offer, much preferring to walk. _

_When I was leaving the store, I bumped into Ma Dincht who insisted on having me over for tea and refused to take _'no'_ for an answer… With resignation I followed her home, but I took a peek at my chrono and realized that Seifer would still be at the docks, so I went to Ma Dincht's with a lighter heart._

_Imagine my surprise and chagrin when I found Seifer lounging comfortably on a sofa reading a new issue of _**Weapon's Monthly**_! When he heard us arrive, he looked up with a slight smile on his lips only to have it change to a smirk when he saw me. He stood up to give Ma Dincht a quick peck on the cheek, and to help her with her parcels (Because I was equally weighted down with mine, I wasn't able to help Ma Dincht carry hers). Apart from exchanging a very polite "Hi", we managed to help Ma Dincht put everything away without saying a word to each other. While we were doing this, Ma Dincht just kept on going about the rising costs of food, and the rudeness of some store employees. All the time oblivious to the growing tension between Seifer and myself. Once everything was put away, Ma Dincht shooed us out of the kitchen and started preparations for tea. Seifer went back to reading his magazine. _

_I never noticed how small the living room was at the Dincht's. There was barely any room to stretch the legs. Seifer himself almost took up a third of the room… What was he doing at home, anyway? Shouldn't he be in the docks, or in the Fire Cave training with Squall? I was so engrossed in trying to figure out why he was home that I must've just stared at him blindly, because he suddenly lowered the magazine he was reading, and told me in his favourite menacing tone of voice to stop it. I must've just kept on gazing stupidly at him, because he threw the magazine with a loud thud onto the coffee table, and came over to where I was seated. He placed his hands on my chair's wooden arms, and bent menacingly down, so low that our noses could almost touch. I could see the intense greens, blues and golds of his irises swirling and glittering. He had me neatly trapped. Very slowly, as if I were an imbecile, he asked, punctuating every word: "What. Are. You. Staring. At?" _

_If he thinks he can intimidate me, he's got another one coming! I just raised my hands and pushed against his chest trying to shove him away, but the man must be made of solid rock because he did not even budge an inch! He even had the gall to whisper in my ear that he wasn't moving until I answered his question… Very well, I thought to myself, I was not backing down! I wasn't doing anything bad and he was being a jerk. I just crossed my arms and decided to stare him out. _

_Suddenly his gaze dropped half mast to my lips, and I felt my entire body begin to burn. I'm not sure what he would've done if Ma Dincht hadn't interrupted by yelling at us from the other room that tea was ready … _

_As if awakened from a trance, Seifer and I stared at each other and blushed to the roots of our hair. Even as we sat in the same room exchanging pleasantries and small talk with Zell's mother, we carefully avoided eye contact with each other._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_22.05.01 AU_

_I don't know much about a mother's power, but one thing I'm sure of now: do not underestimate Ma Dincht's power. Yesterday night, for reasons that will forever remain a mystery to me, she got me to stay and have dinner there _en famille _with her two _'boys'._ Watching Zell and Seifer act like brothers just to please Ma Dincht was almost like watching a bad play in the theatre of the bizarre. They were too busy trying to outdo each other to pay any attention to me (In a weird, very weird sense it was really funny). Whenever she was in the kitchen or her back was turned, they would revert to their usual 'friendly' way with each other. Zell would say things like, "Pass me the salt, Asshole." And Seifer would reply with a "Here you go, Chickenwuss." And so on, back and forth, back and forth. I don't think I was able to eat much, my time was spent trying to kick some sense into the two of them under the table. My poor feet are blue and black now, those guys wear heavy boots reinforced with steel toes!_

_To top it all, Ma Dincht spent the whole time beaming at the three of us, and hinting very heavily that it was time her two _'boys' _thought about settling down and starting a family. I must've choked on that one, because I felt Zell's palm on my back trying to awkwardly _'pat' _me better. All he did was to almost send me against the table… Hyne! Doesn't he know his own damned strength? And in front of that jerk, Seifer, too! He just sat there sneering at us._

_After dinner, I left with Zell. Halfway to B-Garden I started laughing like a hyena, it must've been delayed reaction, I just couldn't help myself… Apart from my choking incident, dinner had just been too strange. Needless to say, Zell was not happy with me when I told him what I found funny. He, of course, couldn't see anything even half-amusing with the incident. Hmm, I wonder if he's still mad at me…_

_I have to confess that I'm curious to know if Seifer would've kissed me before being interrupted by Ma Dincht. I wonder how he would kiss… (I can't believe I'm actually intrigued by this!) Not that I consider myself an expert, far from it. All I can remember was that slobbering kiss some guy gave me in the secret area of the Training Centre before I became SeeD. I was so disgusted by the experience that I swore I never wanted to try it again… (Even now thinking about it makes me ill, Ugh!) Somehow I just don't think Seifer's kiss will feel like that… Maybe I should ask Rinoa… She did go out with him, even confessed to have fallen in love with him… WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, QUISTIS TREPE? Have you finally lost it? Are you nuts? Asking Rinoa, means Selphie would know, and if Selphie knew, the whole of Garden would know that I'm curious as to how Seifer Almasy kisses! _

_In any case, I just know that Seifer would not slobber… I've seen girls look at him inside and outside the classroom; I've also seen them look at Squall, but it's not the same look. Squall, they gaze at him in the same way one looks at a pretty painting. Seifer… They want him. Even after he failed the Field Exam that Squall and the others passed, at the night of the SeeD Graduation Ball, I saw him being _'consoled' _by some girl. She was all over him… I'm sure she didn't see me, she was too enthralled by him… But he, the bastard saw me. As if daring me with his eyes, he angled the girl's head, and deepened the kiss making her moan out loud. Not caring what he thought, I turned heel and just walked away._

_The poor girl he had clinging to him in Balamb should be an indication of how some things never change. I would be blind if I didn't notice how good-looking he is… Perhaps I purposely focused all my attention on Squall as a sort of buffer against him. Seifer would always sneer and jeer at everything I tried to do. I resented that, it undermined my authority and made me feel inadequate. Nobody likes feeling that way… _

_That time at G-Garden, when we all thought he had been executed for attacking Deling, I had been so full of contradictory feelings…regret, sadness, inadequacy. I never told the others, but I had tried to reason with Headmaster Martine about having Seifer released into Balamb Custody (neither Balamb nor B-Garden has Capital Punishment which Galbadia favours over all others). What I got was just the promise of a communiqué saying that B-Garden would not be held responsible for the attack on the President of Galbadia. As if Squall team had not been hired by the Forest Owls to do just that!_

_Surprisingly enough, the people of Timber never forgot what Seifer did. During those infamous Sorceress Trials, the Free Republic of Timber became his most staunch ally. They regard him as a hero over there, ever since they saw images of Seifer threatening to kill Deling, the most hated figure in Timber, past and present. (He really was the most horrific butcher, during his occupation of Timber many people sort of _'disappeared'_, never to be heard of again.)_

…

_By the way, this afternoon Selphie and Rinoa came over to my room for a chat (it's really a gossip session) and they told me that Sis is coming to visit! This is the best news I've received for a long time! Wait a minute!… That means maybe President Laguna is coming too! Oh, I wonder how Squall feels about this…_

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

Translation from the Spanish

_A useless enchantment,  
A useless enchantment, 12:60,  
A useless enchantment, it's not the time  
A useless enchantment. _

_The tower has already fallen,  
Revelations on TV,  
Samplings, loops, edition, 12:60. _

_I will slip away  
Like water on a mesh,  
My heart,  
A miniscule portion  
Of the infinite vastness  
From this sea of love._

–Café Tacuba–


	13. Theory of Harmonic Progression

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 12: **Theory of Harmonic Progression**

–_Balamb Garden, Commander's Office_–

"I knew it! I just knew it!"

Squall looked up to see his wife leaning against the door, large brown eyes staring at him disapprovingly, or more like glaring at the bright glow of his screen terminal. He smiled at her sheepishly and proceeded to shut-down. Rinoa blinked when she saw that extremely rare smile, **_'Well! I'll be… He must reeeaaaally feel bad…'_**

"Give me a few minutes."

With a grin Rinoa detached herself from the doorframe and softly closed the door behind her. She started to advance slowly to where her husband was busy filing away various reports so they would be ready for his perusal the next day. Squall presented himself to outsiders as being so remote, so self-contained, that she knew people marvelled at the fact that they had any kids at all, let alone three of them. What these people didn't understand was that in private, she relished in making Squall lose that self-controlled façade. She loved making him lose control of himself…

Squall was a man of very strong passions, he just didn't like showing them to the outside world. It was uncanny how he and Seifer were so similar, yet so different from each other –Like two sides of the same coin– Squall kept his passions under tight control, to the point of denial. On the other hand, Seifer never hesitated in letting them show, sometimes excessively so. Funny how the three of them became intertwined.

Seifer had been her first love, her first lover… He had been so tender, so caring… His youthful passion had made her feel like she could take on the world… She could never regret her time with him. They had been so young, so innocent, so full of dreams… All of which have been shattered on that day, so faraway now, when the 'Forest Owls' had tried to assassinate Vinzer Deling, and Seifer had brashly shown up on Timber in an attempt to aid their cause.

Perhaps it might have been destiny's hand, but she had somehow felt involved in the unravelling of Seifer's and Squall's fate. The three of them meeting like that had been no coincidence, she was certain of it. In truth, as she had watched in helpless horror how Seifer's humanity was slowly being stripped away from him, she had started clinging more and more to Squall. In the end, she had fallen for him, her own very reluctant knight…

Rinoa perched herself on one of the side arms of Squall's swivel chair, and lovingly kissed the faint scar on his forehead.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Squall stared at his wife impassively, "Okay, what did Foehn do?"

She was indignant, "What makes you think I'm covering up for our son?"

Her answer was a dark eyebrow arching over slate-blue eyes. She let out a loud gasp as he snagged her waist and deftly manoeuvred her onto his lap.

"Squall!"

"It'll cost you."

She opened her mouth to tell him what she thought of his suspicions, when he seized the opportunity to claim her lips in a searing kiss. Defeated, Rinoa laced her arms around his neck and completely forgot what she was going to say, as she lost herself in her husband's embrace.

§ § §

–_Deling City, Caraway Mansion–_

"Do you know who leaked the news to the media?"

"I've already ordered my assistant to flush out this person or group. It has to be someone from inside the Ministry. We cannot afford to keep such people around."

"Be thankful your media informant cannot be someone too high up. If those hounds were to catch a whiff of the more classified information, shit would be hitting the fan."

"I don't need you to tell me something I already know," Tyrrell Caraway said testily over his secure line. "I hope this little news outbreak does not dampen your desire to be considered for the Presidential run, Robert."

"What? And allow that little prick Clayton Deling a victory by acclamation? Never!"

"The Military Presidential Committee will be convening in two months time."

"I know what needs to be done. I have already prepared my letter of resignation."

"When will you be notifying the others?"

"When I'm ready and not a second before."

"I see."

"I'm glad you do."

"Keep me posted…and Robert…"

"Yes?"

"Watch your back."

"Understood."

When he heard a distinctive '_click_' on the other side, Tyrrell Caraway hung up his receiver and sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do right now, just try to control any potential damage. Major general Deling, the nephew of Vinzer Deling, had suddenly risen into power just beneath his very nose. He blamed himself from not seeing it coming, he had grown soft with old age. His mind had been more bent on his grandchildren than in politics. He hoped that his latest gambit would prove that he had not lost his touch. Robert Martine was an old hardliner, but Clayton J. Deling was dangerous. He nurtured a major grudge against anything or anyone connected in the past or present with a sorceress.

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden, Commander's Office–_

Rinoa tried to arrange her clothes into some semblance of order. Her lips were throbbing and her body still hummed from that little session on the swivel chair… _The swivel chair! _…Really it was too bad of Squall! What if his assistant just _happened_ to walk in? She hadn't thought to lock the door! Whatever could he be thinking? She turned to glare at him.

Squall just draped his discarded uniform jacket unconcernedly over a shoulder, and ignored his partner, who was staring daggers at him. He liked to surprise her from time to time, just to prove that he was not the dull passive guy she thought him to be. Once he reached the door, he turned to ask her in a conciliatory tone, "How was your late lunch with Zuleima?"

It worked, her brow cleared immediately, "It was very good, we went to this very nice bistro in Balamb's old core. She even convinced Susana to join us."

Rinoa sighed inwardly, she could never remain angry with Squall. He knew her too well, knew how to defuse her anger…

"Zuleima is a very persuasive person." Squall said it in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Yeah! Even after all these years, I still wonder what she did to get Zell off hot-dogs…"

Squall just shrugged his shoulders, his mind already preoccupied on something else.

"Oh! By the way…earlier this morning Zul came by the infirmary to tell me that Zoltan had a nasty encounter with a strange monster. Apparently it resembled a Lefty with some very wicked claws…"

That got Squall's attention, he looked at his wife.

"Yeah, I was just reading Xander's report when you came in."

"She also told me Djinn finally made an appearance."

"That's what I gathered from Xander's description. Of course, the Windhill team doesn't know that we are aware of Djinn's existence, or that Zoltan can transform into it…"

"She also wants me to test Zoltan's blood when he returns."

"Do it. You know better than anyone not to ever take what Zuleima Alkhash-ka has to say lightly."

Having children was the furthest thing in her mind when Zell had brought this strange girl, Zuleima, back to B-Garden, claiming that she had saved his team from dying in the Kashkabald Desert. The first time Zuleima had clasped Rinoa's hand, she had looked at Rinoa straight in the eye with those strange amber eyes and told her that her last child would be special. The child would look like her and carry her sorceress blood. At the time, Rinoa didn't know Zuleima very well and discarded her prediction as weird desert people hocus-pocus. But Gustav was born exactly as Zuleima had foretold…

"Squall, what does it all mean?…" She asked him with a worried frown.

They were waiting for the lift that would take them to their quarters on the fourth level.

He bent to kiss the frown away, "I dunno, Xander's going to question the locals and see if they can find out more about this unusual monster."

"Hmm, I know that Xander's a very capable young man and that he and Rei are high-level SeeDs… But I still worry… They are so young…and Zoltan's just a baby…"

Squall stared at his wife, amusement shining in his usually sombre eyes. They hadn't been any older when they had to confront Ultimecia. If those three were to hear her… they would be upset at having their abilities questioned. And justly so. Who would've thought that Irvine and Selphie's son would be such a capable young man? Xander has proven himself to be an excellent SeeD. He had inherited his mother's sharp mind, and Irvine's observant nature, the mark of a good leader. He was also thankful that the boy, although a bit of a charmer, was not the flirt his parents had been. Squall grimaced, having to deal with Foehn's prurient nature was more than enough for him…

"Rinoa, don't worry about it. They know how to take care of themselves, and I know that Xander and Rei will look after Zoltan."

They entered the lift and Squall coded the numbers for access to their quarters.

"Yeah, I know that Zol was sent to Windhill with them to get some mission experience. Have you notified Seifer of this?"

"I've sent him a message already, but he probably won't be reading it until tomorrow." He gave himself the luxury of smirking, "Right now they should be on their way to Laguna's little party."

The lift doors glided silently open, and they both stepped out.

"Oh! Right! Quisty told me, the reception to honour the Duke of Dollet's historical first visit to Esthar!" Suddenly Rinoa turned to face her husband, hands fisted on her hips, "Hey! How come we didn't go? I'm sure we were invited. I would've love to have gone!"

"Almasy's turn."

"What? **_That_** is your explanation?"

"Aren't we having a family dinner to celebrate Foehn's return?" Distraction had always been a good tactic to defuse an argument with his wife.

"Humph! Don't think I can't see through your tricks, mister!" Rinoa pointed an accusing finger at him.

Squall shrugged mentally, **_'Whatever' _**…He was in desperate need of a nice hot shower. "Have you told Tyrrell about it?" He asked casually, sometimes his second son would have dinner at the cafeteria with his friends instead of with them.

"Oh, Hyne! I completely forgot!" She flipped her communicator open and waved her hand distractedly at her husband, her annoyance already forgotten, "You go shower, dear, while I try to get a hold of Ty."

§ § §

–_Alcaud Plains, Road to Balamb City–_

Three young people could be seen walking down the winding road that lead from Balamb Garden to the city of the same name. It was early in the afternoon, the sun was shining bright and high in a cloudless sky. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

"Awww…Ty! Why are you being so anti-social? I tell **_you_** stuff!"

"Do I ask you to?"

Eleanor made a face, Twyla was relentless when she wanted to know something. Suddenly her eyes widened, **_'Wait a minute! Maybe Twy's interested in Tyrrell!'_** She looked at the two of them walking in front of her. Well, Ty was walking… Twyla seemed to be doing some sort of jumping bean dance around him.

"You are such a _meanie_! See if I **_ever_** tell you stuff again!"

On the other hand, Eleanor thought, Twyla has always acted this way around Tyrrell, forever trying to needle him, just to get a reaction from the guy. And as usual, Ty bore it all with an stoicism that reminded her of Uncle Squall… except that Tyrrell was not really _like_ his father. He was by no means a taciturn person, but he was also far from being the most sociable guy around. For as long as she had know him –and that was all her life– Tyrrell never said more than he had to. And yet _in spite_ of this he was quite popular around Garden, and **_–smirk– _** girls liked him… She suppressed a giggle when she thought of Tyrrell with the ever so talkative Zoltan. The two were half a year or so apart, but Zol always gave the impression of being the younger of the two, **_'I bet that guy even talks on his sl…'_**

"Stop."

Eleanor was not paying attention to what was happening in front of her, so when she heard Ty's command, it was too late. She bumped into him. He turned slightly to dart her an irritated look over the shoulder, but refocused his attention on what was before him. Two Glacial Eye monsters were speedily floating their way towards them.

"Tch, Ty! Quit the macho stance, already and let's just get rid of the things!"

Twyla's other favourite occupation, apart from pestering people, was fighting monsters. She quickly unfurled her whip and let it crack expertly against the ground. She lifted her weapon again, but this time she lashed it around one Glacial Eye, causing it to falter, another swift twist of the whip and it was a goner.

With a quick slash, Tyrrell easily dispatched the other Glacial with his gunblade _Griever_, a gift from his parents and his most prized possession. However, he did not stop, riding on the momentum he kept on going. His objective had not been the Glacial Eyes, but rather the T-Rexaur that could now be seen lumbering clumsily towards the three of them. It had been hidden by the huge boulder on the side of the road that sported the sign: **'Welcome to Balamb City Limits / Pop. 985,000 inhabitants'**. Apparently, Tyrrell had heard its approach.

Using both his hands he swiftly lifted _Griever_ above his head and swung it at the monster in a powerful arc, pulling the trigger at the precise moment he felt the blade hit the monster's thick hide. The T-Rexaur, roaring in pain, retaliated by slashing it's huge tail at Tyrrell, who tried to duck the mighty blow. But the time required to draw his gunblade out from where it was deeply embedded in the monster had slowed him down and as a consequence he was knocked to the side by the powerful swish of the tail.

"Blind!" Old Aki's lesson had not gone to waste on Twyla, "WHOA! Whoa! How come you didn't tell us this baby was around the corner?"

They've fought T-Rexaurs simulations before, with numerous other students present and under the vigilant supervision of an instructor in the Training Centre, but this was the real McCoy. Just the three of them, in the open plain facing the monster. Eleanor quickly unsheathed her Wakazashi Blades, a present from Uncle Kiros on her fifteenth birthday, and run to cover for Tyrrell who was lying on the ground winded by the beast's blow.

"Cure!" Eleanor shouted.

Tyrrell felt a warm tingle as he was bathed by the revitalizing soft green light. He swiftly got up and shook his head, readying his gunblade to deal the monster another telling blow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eleanor slash at the monster in criss-cross fashion with her blades, while Twyla cracked her whip at it. By themselves, the blows did not cause too significant a damage, but they were all junctioned to status attacks. Poisoned and blinded, the T-Rexaur tried to lunge at the two girls with its huge head, but they quickly jumped out of the way. Infuriated, it made an unexpected swipe with it's normally useless paws which caught Twyla unaware.

"YEWOuch!" The damage was not great since the T-Rexaur's paws were quite puny, but Twyla had been surprised by the blow.

Eleanor, not knowing that Twyla was more startled than really hurt, turned her attention from the monster to cure her friend, "TWY! Hang on… Cure!"

Maddened, with poison slowly seeping into its system, the monster swung it's tail once again, this time in Eleanor's direction.

"FUCK! Eleanor! Get the fuck outta the way!" Tyrrell made a lunge at Eleanor and knocked her out of the tail's trajectory. The momentum created by the move made them both roll out of harm's way, but they were both winded.

"Blizzard!" Icicles shot out of Twyla's hands as she covered for them.

Tyrrell got up and after darting a quick look at Eleanor to ensure that she was alright, he swung _Griever_ and charged at the monster dealing it another glancing blow. Again and again, ruthlessly ignoring screaming muscles, tired from the intense workout. It was not worth calling Leviathan to the fray, the GF would take its sweet time answering his summon and to top it off, it wouldn't deal too much damage. He could do more with his gunblade.

"Twyla! Just keep casting Blizzard on it!"

He knew that her magic stats were quite good, in any case her Chain-Whip was ineffective against the monster's thick hide. Not that he thought whips were useless weapons, he had seen Aunt Quis finish off a T-Rex with just three swipes of her _Save the Queen_, but he was also aware that they still had ways to go before being able to deal such massive damage themselves. He didn't bother asking Twyla to summon her GF, Carbuncle would be more than useless in this fight.

Alongside Tyrrell, Eleanor kept slashing at the monster with her blades, she knew her blows did not pack the same amount of power as Tyrrell's, but every little bit counted. The monster had a vast amount of HP, and they were all getting tired real fast. To make it worse, all of her left side felt like hell. She'd probably sprained her ankle and her left hip stung like anything from the fall she had taken. When Ty had shoved her out of way he had been unable to break the momentum and had fallen on top of her, making her left side take the impact of their combined body mass. There was no help for it now, she deliberately cleared her mind of her own aches and lacerations, and forced herself to concentrate on the battle before her. She had junctioned Siren, but she wasn't sure if the picky GF would answer her summon fast enough to cause any real damage. She could see that Twy's ice spells were having an effect on the monster, but she had not thought to junction any elementals to her blade attacks… Maybe if she… It was worth a try.

As Tyrrell made to swing his gunblade in another wide arc again, Eleanor joined her blades together and whispered, "Blizzard." Shards of ice flew from the tips of her blades and embedded themselves into the open wound caused by _Griever_. At the same time, it was hit on the side by Twyla's own ice spell. The combination succeeded in dealing more damage than their separate attacks alone. They looked at each other and all three nodded. They combined their attacks again and again, until finally weakened by the incessant blows and by the poison which had spread itself through its system, the T-Rexaur emitted a deafening roar and fell defeated to the ground.

Panting from the overexertion, the three teenagers just stood there staring at the fallen monster, before it slowly started to disintegrate and finally vanish into the thin air.

"WOO-HOO! Our _first_ victory!"

Twyla, as usual, was the first one to react by jumping up and down, twirling her whip around her head.

"Twy! Watch how you swing that thing!" Eleanor shouted.

The tips of the whip had whizzed too close by her ear for comfort. The surge of adrenaline during the fight had served to block all her aches, but right now Eleanor could feel her a painful throbbing from her left shoulder all the way down to her hip, and she didn't have to look down to_ know _that her left ankle was incredibly swollen. It felt like it was on fire. Thanks Hyne for long laced up boots, at least they'd served as a brace or she would probably have a fracture to deal with on top of everything… Unconsciously, after she slowly re-sheathed her blades, her left palm went to nurse the side of the hip that had taken the full blunt of the impact. Oh, great! …Now she was pissed! Her _brand-new _shorts were ripped on the left side too! If she didn't have the straps that secured her Wakazashis' sheath to her thighs, she would've been seriously embarrassed!

"Hey, Ella! Don't you be a party pooper like Ty over here!" Twyla resumed her joyous jumping but did put away her whip, "Woo-hoo!"

Tyrrell wasn't paying Twyla any attention, he was looking at Eleanor with narrowed eyes. His eyes were focused specifically on where her left palm was resting on the side of her hip. He'd also noticed that she had some difficulty moving when he saw her getting out of range from Twyla's irresponsible whip twirling.

"Eleanor…"

_Beep! Beep!_

The three swung around at the sound of the horn. A gleaming red convertible sedan vehicle glided to a stop before them.

"Yo! S'up, ladies? Huh?…Tyrrell!"

"Oh, Hyne! What happened to you guys?"

The voices coming from the sleek glider belonged to Jalek Kenobi and Samantha Mignonne respectively. Tyrrell almost groaned out loud, **_'Oh fuck! That's all I need now!'_** All three of them looked the worse for wear, they had all suffered minor cuts and lacerations from the fight. He looked down at himself, his sleeve was partly torn and his uniform was heavily soiled. As for Twyla, apart from a red welt on her upper arm, where the T-Rexaur had taken a swipe at her, she seemed to have emerged relatively unscathed from the fight. **_'Remind myself of the advantages of casting magical attacks…'_** His eyes rested thoughtfully on Eleanor. She was standing, but she seemed to be favouring her right side heavily… And the seams on the left side of her shorts seemed to have been ripped apart.

"We fought a T-Rexaur and won! Woo-hoo!" Twyla announced cheerfully.

"Yeah… It was pretty tough…" Eleanor sounded more relieved than anything.

"Get out!" Samantha's voice was incredulous, "This might be Lunar Cry and all, but a T-Rexaur? And in the middle of the open road?"

"Yep! It was one biiiiggg sucker!" Twyla was not deterred by Samantha's tone of voice.

"You're both kidding… Right?"

Tyrrell ignored the silly argument and kept his eyes trained on Eleanor. **_'She doesn't seem to have anything broken…'_** but she was in pain. Perhaps it was not so bad that Kenobi had shown up, even with Samantha on tow, if he could drive them to Balamb City. It would be the most expedient way to get Eleanor some needed medical attention. With that in mind, slate blue eyes went to the driver of the glider only to narrow in irritation. Kenobi was ogling Eleanor's legs. Tyrrell resisted the sudden urge to smash his fist into Kenobi's face. He deliberately moved to block the other's line of vision.

"Eleanor, any fractures?"

It was Jalek's turn to be annoyed, as all three girls forgot their argument, and swung their attention to the source of the question. Why was it that Leonhart could capture chicks' attention with a couple of muttered words, when he had to jump through hoops just to have them notice him. **_'Must be that dark and brooding routine…'_** But he'd never really seen Leonhart brood…

"No, I don't think so…but my ankle's sprained. Maybe if we were to walk slo… Hey! W-What are you doing…?" Eleanor exclaimed. Tyrrell had just casually walked up to her , and easily scooped her up in his arms. To regain her balance she laced her arms around his neck.

"Shut-up." He walked with her to the back of the car, "Twyla."

Twyla, used to her friend's laconic expressions, jumped and went to open the door for him.

"Oh, Hyne! Ella! Are you okay?" She asked solicitously. Now that she had taken a closer look at her friend she realized that Eleanor was in pain. She lightly touched her friend's forehead and said, "Cure."

Eleanor felt her pain lessened somewhat as she was bathed by the green light of the healing spell. Trying desperately not to blush at being carried, she forced herself to smile at an unusually sober Twyla, "Yeah, don't worry."

Tyrrell placed her gently on the vehicle and slammed the door.

"Kenobi, can you drive us to town?"

"Huh?…Oh, sure! Climb in!"

As she scrambled into the other side of the glider, Twyla smiled at the guy and noticed he was too busy gaping at the tear on Ella's shorts.

"Your new shorts! Oh, Ella… You just got them last week!" Twyla sounded genuinely distressed.

"C'mon! You don't seriously think that we're really buying your T-Rexaur story… Jalek, what do you think?" Not used to being ignored –_specially_ by guys– Samantha looked impatiently at Kenobi to get his agreement, and frowned when she saw him gawking at that Almasy girl. She slapped the side of his head.

"OUCH! What was that for?"

"You know what for! Pervert!" Samantha huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, looking straight ahead. She didn't really care if that idiot Kenobi drooled over Almasy or not, but she was irritated with all the attention Tyrrell was giving that girl.

Once everyone was in, an annoyed Jalek started the vehicle. The short drive to Balamb City was done in relative silence, given the fact that Twyla was in the car. But for once the bubbly brunette kept quiet being too worried about her friend. They were entering the bustling city via the docks that operated the ferry service between the island and FH, when Tyrrell spoke again.

"Kenobi, turn left at the traffic-light to the Spira District. It's the red house on the northeast corner of Besaid with Kilika street, not too far from the old train station."

"Okay."

Eleanor blinked at Tyrrell's profile, "Dr. Kadowaki's place?"

"Is that a problem?" He asked her coolly.

"N-No… But how about the twins?"

Twyla intervened, "I'll pick 'em up, Ella! Their school is not too far from the Doctor's house, anyway…"

"I don't understand how she could've gotten all beaten up… Unless you really want me to believe that T-Rexaur story…" Samantha was getting bored, and being bored made her snippy. Her original intention had been to do some shopping in Balamb City, to that purpose she had wheedled Jalek to drive her into town. But that was before… Right now, she wasn't going to let that girl be all alone with Tyrrell! Over her dead body!

"Yeah, yeah… We all heard ya the first time!" Twyla did not like to have her stories –truthful or otherwise– questioned.

Samantha just glared at the rude brunette. Petite and fragile looking, SeeD Cadet Samantha Mignonne was a very pretty girl with long curly strawberry blond hair and grey eyes. The only daughter of a very well to do Balamb merchant family, she was used to being the centre of attention. An expectation that was also fostered in B-Garden, as she was quite a popular figure with Garden's male population. Samantha pouted, what did it take to have a hottie like Tyrrell Leonhart notice her?

As the glider swung into the quaint cobblestone streets of the Spira District, before it turned towards the direction of the old train station, Twyla exclaimed, "Hey, Kenobi! Let me out!" The twin's school was only two houses away from Gran Dincht's, and a block away from Dr. Kadowaki's house.

"Sure thing." Jalek stopped the vehicle and patiently waited for Twyla to get out.

Once out Twyla leaned into the car and reassured her friend, "I'll just drop those two littl' tornadoes off at Gran's and then I'll come over to check on ya." She waved her arms cheerfully at everyone and went in the direction of Lulu's Kindergarten.

§ § §

To be continued…


	14. Reasonable Incongruity

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 13:** Reasonable Incongruity**

– _Dollet, Ducal Palace–_

Her Royal Highness Lucretia Alessandra Ferrara D'Este, Duchess of Mantua and Heiress to the Dukedom of Dollet upon her grandfather's death, was pouting. It was unusual for palace staff to see her pout. Since birth her every whim, every desire, every wish had been lavishly catered to by an extremely protective and over-indulgent grandfather. However, in spite of being spoiled rotten, Lucretia Alessandra or just plain Lady Alessa as she was known throughout the dukedom, was a very nice young lady. She possessed a good heart and was very popular with the people of Dollet.

The paparazzi loved her. She would actually stop and pose for them, unlike other more hostile celebrities who populated the luxurious beaches of Dollet. She was also a joy to photograph, there were no bad angles, everything about her was beautiful. From her long and burnished chestnut tresses, to her wide hazel eyes fringed by the most dark and curly lashes, to the perfection of her silky sun-kissed skin so nicely toned. She was the epitome of what a young princess should look like, and the public hungered for more.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lady Alessa and Quistis Trepe were probably the most sought after women in the world. The Lady Alessa because she was young, pretty and accessible. Quistis Trepe because images of her were extremely rare and therefore valuable. Garden was an impregnable organization, impossible for the media to infiltrate. An added difficulty was one Seifer Almasy... After all, a photographer had to risk her or his neck to catch the elusive beauty's image, because her over-protective husband always threatened to disembowel anyone he caught doing so. **_No one_** took Seifer Almasy's threats idly, unless they were suicidal… However, published images of Almasy and his wife together were a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of the media. A crisp photo-image of Quistis commanded a lot of gil. A crisp photo-image of Quistis with her truculent albeit extremely handsome husband …well… a photographer could live in great comfort for more than a month with the kind of money he or she could fetch on it.

Less than two weeks ago, the media hounds caught whiff that the young blond god that had been spotted escorting their beloved Lady Alessa out of a well-known club, was no other than the Almasys' son. Dollet –a place already brimming with reporters– became a media circus. The boy himself was enough to commandeer attention, like the Lady Alessa, there were no bad angles to him, because he looked good from any angle… but with the added bonus of his parents' identity… And it was very obvious that the Heiress of Dollet herself was more than interested in the beautiful young man. She had clung to him like a limpet, completely ignoring the sullen presence of her suitor Charles Vicente Giambattista, Count of Hasberry.

Unfortunately, apart from that unexpected photo opportunity, the boy proved to be as elusive to capture in photo as his parents… Oh, he did not hide himself, far from it, but somehow all the images of him were fuzzy and distorted. In other words: absolutely useless. If the media could pout, it would probably resemble the Lady Alessa's pout. At the least it would've been caused by similar reasons.

She had tried all morning to reason with her grandfather, but he had still refused to let her go with him to Esthar. It was really so unlike him… Normally he would demand that **she**, being his only heir, accompany him everywhere. Specially on a day like today! For the first time in many millennia the Heads of Dollet and Esthar –the remnants of the lost Centra civilization– would be meeting officially! And **_HE_** would be there too, he had to be…His parents were in charge of Esthar Garden. The beauty sighed unhappily, once her grandfather made a decision, it was impossible to sway him from his chosen path…

The first time she saw him, she'd thought he was a god…so beautiful …tall and golden… Just looking at him had given her system an incredible jolt. And those incredible blue eyes! They had stared at her, cool and assessing. She remembered feeling all tongued tied and shy! Wow! She'd never remember _ever_ feeling shy! She was used to being the centre of attention. Usually people stared at her with a mixture of adoration and yearning in their eyes; not so in those impossibly beautiful eyes… Poor Vicente had been there too, but the moment Gabriel Almasy had stepped into the room, he might as well have been invisible for all the attention she gave him… **_–Sigh–_** She had always thought she would be marrying Vicente. He was handsome and kind. She knew grandfather had not been very thrilled at the idea, but he had also told her long ago that he would not interfere in her choice of consort. Lady Alessa sighed again, this time dreamily, one Vicente Giambattista completely forgotten, **_'He looked sooo sexy in his formal wear … Good enough to eat!"_**

§ § §

–_Two Weeks Ago – Balamb Garden, Commander's Office–_

"Sir!"

"Gabriel, you are to lead a mission into Dollet."

"Yes, Commander, Sir!" Gabriel Almasy saluted his superior smartly.

Hiding his amusement, Squall stared fondly at the young man before him. Who would've thought that Almasy's son would be such a stickler for form and propriety? **_'He does have the look of Quistis around him...'_** He acknowledged. He also knew that Gabriel was not as different from Seifer as others thought him to be, he was just a much more controlled version of his firebrand parent. **_'Something for which we should all be grateful...'_ **He indicated a chair and invited Gabriel to sit with a casual motion of his hands.

"I was personally contacted by the Duke of Dollet yesterday. In exactly nine days, his granddaughter, who is also heir to the dukedom, will be attaining her majority. You know what that means: increased media scrutiny, elaborate ceremonies, public appearances …the works. Many Heads of State or their representatives will be present for the occasion." Squall paused from his narrative to look at the young man straight in the eye, "As you well know, the Duke has his own personal elite guard to insure the safety and security of his own family, but with the influx of people attending the Majority Ball, both Dollet's civil and military forces will be stretched to the limit..."

There was a brief knock on the door.

"Enter."

Nida Edo entered and saluted Squall briefly, "Here are the files you requested, Squall." He handed his commander a slim Personal Digital Device about the size of his palm, then turned to smile at the young man who had stood-up ramrod straight the moment he'd entered the room, "Hi Gabriel! No need for such formalities, please sit down again and be at ease..."

"Yes, sir!"

"I was just briefly outlining to Gabriel the situation that his team will be facing in Dollet. We have been hired _personally_ by the Duke to protect one Charles Vicente Giambattista, and to take out his would be assassin or group of assassins. Giambattista is the main suitor for the duchess's hand and rumour has it that she's on the verge of accepting his suit." Squall handed to Gabriel the PDD he just got from Nida, "We have included all the intelligence gathered on Giambattista in this device. This should make tracking his movements easier. There are also profiles of all his associates, both old and new. Please study it carefully." The Commander walked to stand by the huge window overlooking the sea. It was a beautiful day, not a single cloud in sight.

When he spoke again, his face was grave, "This is classified information, but there's been some very heavy political infighting going on in Dollet, all behind closed doors, of course. As it is, Parliament, which has long been perceived as being the Duke's puppet, has split into two factions which have nothing to do with ideology and everything to do with the thirst for power..." Squall paused to look at Gabriel's face. "You're not very surprised."

"No, sir. It's a well known fact that the newly elected Leader of Parliament is highly critical of the Duke's domestic policies, but I didn't think he would be as foolish as to try to wrestle power away from the Duke."

"No, you're right. The Count of Lavallee _is _a well-known critic of the Duke's policies both at home _and_ abroad. It's also a well documented fact that they don't see eye to eye on a more personal level. However, he stands to lose too if the Duke is ousted from power… Lavallee is Giambattista's father. In the interest of a possible union between their two children they have _publicly_ agreed to settle their differences." Gabriel noted the emphasis Squall placed on 'publicly'. It certainly made sense to calm the public, a perceived conflict between two such powerful figures would certainly bring down the Dollet Stock Exchange, an already jittery lot to start with… A situation, he was sure, that neither Lavallee nor Dollet wanted since a large chunk of their vast personal fortunes were probably tied in the DSE.

When Squall saw comprehension dawn into Gabriel's eyes, he continued, "Apart from the possible economic repercussions of having too public a feud, the Duke needs Lavallee support because Parliament, fragmented as it is, still has to ratify his granddaughter's right of succession, which can only be done when she reaches her majority. I don't need to tell you that if this person or organization succeeds in a very public assassination of Giambattista… It could set off a series of very unfortunate finger pointing which could easily escalate to a civil war, and throw Dollet into a complete state of chaos…"

Gabriel didn't require Squall to finish the picture, "Divide and conquer… such a simple precept. With Dollet's top key political figures battling each other and Parliament in a state of disarray… That would be a perfect opportunity for whoever is waiting on the sidelines to oust the Duke and his rival, get rid of Parliament and seize Dollet."

Squall smiled grimly at Gabriel's conclusions, "Correct."

"The situation in Dollet is pretty incendiary, with each of the factions highly suspicious of the other's motives. It did not help that last month the Duke was caught on record referring to young Giambattista as a _'frippery punk'_." Nida added, his face equally sombre, "If someone wanted to create chaos and destabilize Dollet, this kind of high profile assassination would be the right trigger."

"Also, Giambattista is the easier target. Whoever is behind this would be reaping the same results for less effort... Don't forget that the duchess is extremely well protected by retainers which have served the ducal family for generations. In contrast, Giambattista comes and goes as he pleases." Squall shrugged, "His file says that he had a very brief stint in a Galbadian military school but does not say if he learn anything. We could request his transcripts officially but that would raise too many flags."

"That young man is reputed to be quite a playboy and had been sighted in and out of clubs and such… Usually escorting different young ladies." There was no mistaking the sneer in Nida's tone, "He's a sitting duck just waiting to be hit."

Squall went to his desk and sat down. He stared at Gabriel, "I trust you to assemble a suitable team for this mission, but I would like you to consider Ahnyang Hideyoshi and her tech support Mitchell Tomaguchi as possible members. I have included their profiles in the PDD. You will notice that Tomaguchi is from T-Garden, but his participation has already been cleared by Commander Tilmitt. This ops goes under SeeD Code 'A'."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow over the extreme measure. Code 'A' meant he could only apprise his team of mission details on a strict need-to-know basis.

Squall continued, "You will also do your utmost to deviate any media attention from the real purpose of this mission. Once you arrive to Dollet, you are to report directly to the Duke. I also want you to keep me posted on your progress."

He paused to look at Nida, who cleared his throat before continuing.

"Your own cover is fairly simple and makes meeting the Duke an exercise in diplomacy. In view that you are Commander Almasy's son and a Rank A SeeD, you are to go as yourself, and act as the representative of both Esthar and Balamb Garden." Nida suppressed a smile when he saw the young man's eyes widen, "If you check your mailbox, you will find the fancy invitation already there. Any questions?"

Gabriel stood up and saluted both senior officers smartly, "No, sir!"

"Very well. Given the complexities of this mission, instead of the usual 24 hours notice, you have 48 hours to assemble your team, and submit it to Fujin for final approval. At the latest, your entire team should be positioned in Dollet before the end of this week. Dismissed."

When the door _clicked_ close behind Gabriel, Nida turned to Squall with a look of intense curiosity on his face, "Do you really buy everything that wily old fox told you?"

Squall looked up and shrugged, "He's paying us extremely well _and_ out of his own deep pockets."

"He asked specially for Almasy's son."

"Gabriel would've been my own logical choice to lead this mission."

"I don't think the Duke was interested in that..."

"No, you're right."

"What's Seifer's take on this?"

"He's in full agreement, except he said it in his own inimitable way…and I quote him in verbatim: _'I trust my son, let the old fart show his cards.'_ "

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden, Gabriel Almasy's Quarters–_

Gabriel studied the information he had been given. It was a pity that Xander and Rei had been _volunteered_ by Fujin to baby-sit Zoltan on his first mission… **–_Grin_–** **_'Better them than me_**…**_'_** The seventeen year old was a lively bundle of neverending energy and the most annoying chatterbox. **_'I did _my_ turn of duty when I fucking acted as SeeD support for his Field Exam in G-Garden…'_** He knew his two friends were way more patient than he was, **_'But then… I haven't strangled Foehn. At least not yet.'_** He was glad to find that Meijin, Rei's twin, was available. The Tessen, Meijin's weapon of choice was quite fitting for this particular mission. No one would question an attractive woman carrying a fan, and being quite a flirt she could easily engage Giambattista while keeping an eye on him.

This mission was to take place in an highly populated urban area, if they were to engage in any sort of combat it would probably be against trained assassins, unless they planned to drop a huge monster from the sky… The logistics of that happening were almost insurmountable …but not impossible. The Ducal Palace was located in the very heart of Dollet's capital. **_'Hmm…it would certainly be a bold move…but hardly worth all the effort not to mention the massive damage to infrastructure…'_** Being cautious, Gabriel did not discard the idea, but placed it in the backburner under the heading of 'very unlikely'. **_ 'I think the best combination will be SeeDs with close combat skills and a couple of snipers…'_** He also wanted to throw a couple of GF'd SeeDs, **_'Meijin's pretty much in-synch with Pandemona and I've got Hephaestus…'_ **Even though B-Garden had the most GF'd SeeDs, Gabriel knew that they were an extremely rare breed. The list was not long and **_'…Two of them are to be deployed baby-sitting the third one who always forgets to junction…'_** He thought sourly.

Ever since Time Compression and Ultimecia's defeat, GFs had proven to be not only very scarce, but also incredibly picky and difficult to junction. A grown person was no longer able to junction a GF for the first time. Junctioning only occurred during the host's childhood and the compatibility levels had to be at least 750 to 800. Otherwise, the chances of a successful junction were almost guaranteed to be zero. Even after successfully junctioning a GF, it might decide not to respond when summoned. In some extreme cases, a junctioned GF might suddenly decide to _un_junction its host and simply disappear. If anyone had been lucky enough to junction a GF during childhood, that person needed to work on improving his or her relationship with the magic spirit …in the fear that it might suddenly decide to disappear…

Dr. Odine, the only one who could've shed some light on this strange behaviour, had died more than ten years ago on some sort of sorceress serum overdose. In any case, all the children of the 'Orphanage Gang' as their parents liked to call themselves, had been lucky in that respect. As children they had been able to junction one of their parent's GFs without any problems, _and_ without the resulting memory loss… However the success rate of summoning varied from person to person, and the GF remained permanently in the host, even when inactive or unjunctioned. The only exception were the Dincht children, Ifrit seemed to have no problems commuting from Zoltan to Eleazar, although the GF would answer Eleazar's summons more quickly than those of his older brother. And Gustav… Gustav Leonhart was _special_, he could communicate with any GF and he could summon the aid of any GF nearby without having to junction it at all…

Gabriel expelled a huge sigh, there was no point in rehashing old stuff… It would certainly not help him assemble the team he needed to accomplish the mission. He decided to study the profiles of the two people Squall had recommended for his consideration:

' Name: Ahnyang Hideyoshi  
' Rank: 23  
' Height: 5'8"  
' DOB: October 30th  
' Specialty: Reconnaissance/Surveillance  
' Weapon1: Martial Arts (in training with Zell Dincht)  
' Weapon2: Shruriken  
' Limit: Starfall  
' GF: Averroes – GF Attack: Esoterica Circle 

Gabriel paused …Hideyoshi was a GF'd SeeD with a very interesting GF. **_'How come she hasn't been added to B-Garden's roster?'_** He looked at the footnote on her file:

' Transferred to Balamb Garden from Trabia Garden two months and a half ago.  
' Status in Balamb Garden still pending… 

'**_Hmm…red tape …that could explain it…_' **He was intrigued by the GF so he decided to check it's characteristics on the Tri-Garden Database:

' The Guardian Force **Averroes** main attack is _Esoterica Circle_ which  
' targets one enemy by scanning and pinning down all its weak points  
' and then attacking those points with bolts of non-elemental energy.  
' This is a devastating attack because it ignores all physical and magical  
' barriers. On the downside, however, it takes time to complete.  
' The attack is no good against fast enemies. It's sometimes known to fail. 

He thought it quite contradictory that a GF which improved its host's Speed and Evasion stats so dramatically could have such a slow attack. **_'In any case Hideyoshi's main focus is on gathering intelligence…fast reaction times on part of the host might be enough to offset the slowness of the attack. Know when to summon way ahead of time…'_** He went back to the screen where her profile was displayed:

' Age of Admission to Trabia Garden: 15  
' Age of Completed SFE: 17  
' Place of SFE: G-Garden  
' SeeD Support: Priya Dephta (T-Garden)  
' SeeD Written Exam: 100 _with Honourable Mention_  
' SeeD Field Exam results: 80  
' Attack: 35  
' Attitude: 80  
' Conduct: 100  
' Judgement: 100  
' Spirit: 100  
' Initial SeeD Ranking: 8

'**_Fuck! She's got some real shitty combat skills…But Squall would not ask me to consider her if he didn't think she was good enough for this mission…'_ ** He looked at her present ranking, '**_Not too shabby… going up 15 ranks in a little less than three years. She also started at Garden pretty late… How did she come by her GF?...'_**

' Previous Schooling: Home schooling by Shumi Village Elde  
' Note: Hideyoshi lived in the Shumi Village until her admittance to Trabia Garden 

'**_Shit! How weird is that? Raised by Shumi and Moombas… No wonder she did so badly on the attack portion of her SFE…'_** Gabriel stopped and considered, **_'But she's currently training with Uncle Wuss, and he takes only the very advanced…'_** He didn't want to take on this mission anyone who could not act in self-defence when directly attacked.

' Special Skills Profile:  
' Set explosives (High Proficiency)  
' Detect and detonate explosives (Extensive field experience)  
' Analysis and identification of organic and inorganic matter (Expert Level)  
' In field DNA and COIL analysis (Expert Level)  
' Perimeter analysis, includes planting/detection of hidden audio and visual devices (Expert Level) 

Gabriel grunted when he read her impressive list of skills, **_'Fuck, I guess her time in the Shumi Village was not wasted by playing dollhouse with the Moombas… I see why Uncle Squall would recommend her, she has T-Garden written all over her profile…' _**She was quite the top in her specialty of reconnaissance and surveillance.

On the other hand, Tomaguchi, her tech support, seemed to be quite wet behind the ears. He examined the stats displayed onscreen, the kid just became SeeD a couple of weeks ago with an initial ranking of 5… From his performance report, he'd barely managed to pass the attack portion of the Field Exam … His conduct, spirit and attitude scores were pretty good … Azure eyes widened a faction as they read Lank and Port's thorough assessment of Tomaguchi's technical skills… **_'Holy fucking shit! Kid's definitely in the team, even if I have to assign him a damned bodyguard!'_**

Once he made up his mind, he sent Fujin the request for SeeDs Hideyoshi and Tomaguchi immediately. Given their particular area of expertise he wanted them deployed as soon as possible. **_'Once Aunt Fu approves it, I'll request a meet with them ASAP…'_** Now, for the rest of the team…

_Bleep! Bleep!_

A small round circle located on the left hand corner of his translucent screen started to blink blue. A dialogue window appeared next to it with the message: "Mom". Startled out of his thoughts, Gabriel's hand went automatically to the corner and touched the blinking light. Immediately, a close-up shot of Quistis's lovely face appeared onscreen.

"Hello, Gabriel!"

"Mom! Good to see you… What's up?"

"As it happens, I just got off the screen with your Uncle Squall," smiling azure eyes, identical to his own, gazed directly at him, "He told me you're to be our representative for Lady Alessa's Majority Ball…" She beamed at him, "I know you'll do us proud!"

Gabriel smiled at his mother, any person other than his mother would've probably melted into a puddle, "Hey mom, those two weeks of lessons in etiquette you and Aunt Rina forced us to take will finally pay off!"

When Gabriel and Foehn were fourteen, they had been sent to a sort of 'summer camp' run by a very exclusive academy in Esthar. The main focus of the so-called 'camp' was for the young men and women attending it to learn good manners and social comportment. Foehn had been easily bribed, his mother just told him that there were tons of girls attending. Convincing Gabriel had not been so easy, he had to be both bribed and threatened at the same time. In the end the exercise of parental authority and the lure of having a custom made gunblade did the trick. Unfortunately, upon their return from 'camp' neither of the two behaved like they had learnt anything. Foehn, being Foehn, just barely managed to pass. But Gabriel had received a special commendation from the camp's principal… Gabriel just kept to himself the meeting he had with his father before being sent off to camp.

…

"_Geez, dad, do I really have t' go? You said that it was schooling for sissies…"_

"_Listen, son, it's your mother's idea…take it up with her…err and don't mention what I said 'bout the camp, Okay?"_

_Gabriel looked at this father, a wily gleam in his azure eyes, "Hey dad! I'll cut ya a de…"_

"_Don't even go there! I've been doin' what you're 'bout to do way before you were even thought of!" Bright sea green eyes stared at the boy warningly._

"_But I don't wanna go!" Being fourteen, this was a perfectly reasonable explanation for him._

"_They'll be lots of pretty girls your age…" Seifer smirked._

" –**Scoff–**_ There're lots of girls **here**! Why do I need to go **there**? Only a moron like Foehn would buy into somethin' like that!"_

"…_**And** you'll be getting your very own gunblade…" Seifer continued as if Gabriel had not spoken, "Most importantly, it'll make your mother happy…"_

"_I can do other stuff that makes her happy…"_

_Seifer, never too high on the patience quotient, was quickly losing it in the face of his son's stubborn refusal to comply with parental wishes, well, mostly maternal…_

"_YOU. ARE. GOING." He looked at his son straight in the eye, just to ensure the boy got the message, "End of discussion. Understood?"_

_A sulky voice replied, "Yes, sir!" Behind the voice, mental cogwheels were working overtime,_** 'Yeah, I'll go but I'll fail every single sub…'**

"_Oh, and your mother better be receivin' a fucking A-Okay report card, son, 'cause you'll be repeatin' those sissy lessons until you do."_

…

"Gabriel?" Quistis's sharp tone snapped Gabriel from his reverie, "Come back to me…" There was an undertone of amusement in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah… Sorry mom, I was just thinking 'bout something dad told me."

"On the subject of etiquette?" Quistis did a pretty good imitation of Seifer's smirk, "Don't tell me! I don't wish to know…"

Gabriel laughed.

"Anyways, after I got off-screen with Squall I just realized you need formal wear!"

"I was going to wear my SeeD uniform…"

Gabriel saw his mother make a face.

"For once I would like to know why you _and_ your father are so fond of that ugly little uniform!" Quistis said sourly.

Gabriel blinked. It was very unusual for his mother to worry about the way he looked or interfere with what he wore… Then his eyes sharpened. His mom _knew_ about his upcoming mission.

"What would you suggest, mom?" His dress uniform had a special holster for _Helios_, his gunblade.

"I went shopping with Matron and your Aunt Ellone last week and we came by this very nice store that specializes in men's formal wear…"

"Huh?" Gabriel was speechless.

He knew Aunt Selph always tried to make Xander wear this or wear that, but his mother had _never_ interfered in his choice of wardrobe… Not his, not even his little sister's…

Quistis went on as if Gabriel had not spoken, "I ordered a tuxedo for your father and one for you!"

"And… Dad's going to wear his?" Disbelief was written all over his face.

"Of course he will!" Quistis replied cheerfully ignoring his obvious incredulity, "This is the reason I called, I'm sending yours via Uncle Raijin. He was over here to consult something with your father and is, as we speak, heading back to B-Garden now."

Gabriel managed to say, "Err…Thanks mom!" **_'I think…'_**

"I expect to see pictures of you wearing it!" Quistis beamed at her son, "You'll look so nice!"

"Yeah, sure…How are Matron and Sis?" He quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, dear me, I'm becoming forgetful!... You should be able to ask them yourself soon. Ellone told me they're planning to visit B-Garden at the end of this month, for the Tri-Garden Festival…"

"Sylvie will be thrilled to know Matron's attending this year. I heard from Rei she's planning something **BIG**."

Quistis chuckled before remarking dryly, "Like mother, like daughter…When have those two ever done anything in half-measures? …Oh, before I forget, I've been trying Eleanor's communicator for ages but it keeps telling me 'person unavailable'…"

"Don't worry mom, she probably forgot to recharge her unit. I just had breakfast with her this morning and her day's pretty full…you know, her SeeD Written Exam is just around the corner…" **_'Ella you better be in the library or your ass is dust!'_**

"Alright. Tell her to call me as soon as you see her, Okay?"

"Sure thing, mom."

"Take care, son."

Quistis smiled, she touched two fingers to her lips and then touched the middle of the screen with them. Gabriel did the same. For as long as he knew, they had always signed off this way.

§ § §

–_Three Hours Later –Balamb Garden SeeD Mission Briefing Room–_

"…know that this mission is under strict SeeD Code 'A'. Yours will be the first team to arrive at the target location.. Your cover will be as brother and sister from Trabia vacationing in Dollet to enjoy the celebrations to be held for the Duchess Majority. Since you both need to spend a fair amount of time in your room, we have created a false medical record for Mole which states that he suffers from chronic fatigue. As you can see we have modified a wheelchair in a way that will serve our purposes nicely."

Gabriel touched a panel, and the translucent screen which had been flashing with information just a few moments before, receded until it disappeared completely into the table. He then raised his eyes to study the two SeeDs seated before him in the briefing room, "We have already arranged for your accommodation and transportation to Dollet. Given the nature of this mission, you will be shuttled back to T-Garden. From there you are to proceed as civilians to the capital, Grandidi City, and board the express underground bullet-train to Dollet."

He pushed an small envelope towards Hideyoshi, who caught it deftly. "It contains all the necessary documentation to prove your cover and get you there. Practical mission details and such have already been uploaded to your PDD. Your first task in this ops will be to make a full perimeter analysis of where the target lives and of all the places he frequents. List all possible spots for potential sniper positions. I have included a list of his favourite hangouts from a preliminary intelligence report. Please note that he might have others, but this is a good start. I need your analysis ASAP. Once we plant a tracking device on the target, your main focus in this mission will be to keep me apprised at all times of his movements. I don't want the man to fart without me knowing about it."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Hideyoshi."

"You don't think they will move up the hit date."

"No. According to very reliable intelligence, we have reason to believe they will wait until the celebrations reach their highest point."

"The Majority Ball."

"Correct." Gabriel paused to say thoughtfully, "Hmm… In any case, if you have reason to suspect they might be moving up their hit date, contact me immediately but you are to keep your cover, understood?" It paid to be overcautious in a situation so full of unforeseen variables.

"Yes, sir."

"The rest of the team shall be in Dollet by the end of the week. Including you two, there shall be eight of us. You shall know of our presence in Dollet because each of us will be wearing a tracking device that will transmit a special signal to Mole's terminal. This way you will be able to monitor the movement of all our agents on location. Questions?"

Hideyoshi spoke, "Just one, sir."

"Shoot."

"If we are to lose communicator contact with a team member that needs to be contacted immediately how should we proceed?"

"All of us will have two lines, the secure SeeD line which your tech shall monitor at all times, and the normal everyday communicator line carried by most civilians. Should the _secure _line fail," His tone implied that he didn't expect it to fail… "And the message is urgent, use the normal line." Cold blue eyes stared at her, "In case of that eventuality, use the standard SeeD Communications Protocol."

"Yes, sir!"

"Any more questions?" Gabriel scanned the two SeeDs seated before him.

"No, sir."

"Mole."

The Mole jumped, "Err…Yes! Sir!"

Cool blue eyes took a measuring look at the lanky young man with the untidy brown hair and the goggles.

"Those goggles will have to come off."

He tried to keep the amusement he felt off his voice. He knew it would go over the young man's head, but Hideyoshi… Those dark almond shaped eyes missed nothing. They narrowed slightly at him. Just as well he had decided beforehand on the brother and sister cover… His eyes scanned Hideyoshi's pale face and delicate features with objective detachment… a very intriguing face… There was no fucking way anyone would believe those two to be a couple.

"If you need glasses, I'm sure Dr. Heartilly will outfit a pair for you immediately." He added smoothly.

"Err…That won't be necessary, sir!"

"Very well. Go to Garden's Supply Depot to pick up the wheelchair, the techs there will show you how to operate it. In exactly two hours time report to the SeeD Shuttle Bay where your transport shall be awaiting to take you to T-Garden. You are to be in Dollet by tomorrow afternoon, at the latest."

He stood up and saluted them, "Good luck on your mission. Dismissed."

The other two reciprocated the salute and left to get ready.

§ § §

To be continued…


	15. Such Senseless Stories

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 14 :** Such Senseless Stories**

_A quoi ça sert l'amour?  
On raconter toujours  
Des histoires insensées_

_A quoi ça sert d'aimer?  
L'amour ne s'explique pas  
C'est une chose comme ça_

_Qui viennent on ne sais d'où  
Et vous prends tout à coup  
Moi, j'ai entendu dire_

_Que l'amour fait souffrir  
Que l'amour fait pleurer  
A quoi ça sert d'aimer?_

–Edith Piaf–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_24.05.01 AU_

_Selph has kept us busy the entire day by making us run errands all over the place! She was going on and on about not having enough time to arrange for everything. I thought it was a bit too much... She was going crazy over something that was to take place in a distant future. I mean, the Garden Festival is not until early July, and this is only the end of May! I mentioned this to Matron during our usual afternoon tea together, but she looked at me strangely and told me that Selphie was not organizing the Garden Festival but a small SeeD Graduation Party! I almost dropped one of Matron's prized teacups! Talk about pressure! _

_I asked tentatively (very tentatively), if Selphie was not being a bit premature about the outcome of certain things; to which Matron replied with unbelievable enthusiasm that she was certain her two boys would do us all proud! (I think, no, I'm sure I'm going to be ill…) She also informed me that they had invited Sis and Laguna too for the party! The other day when Rinoa and Selphie told me, I was glad of their arrival because I haven't seen Ellone or Laguna for quite some time, but now their visit just adds to the mounting pressure I feel on helping those two pass their Field Exam!_

_On the positive side, this party organizing frenzy has gotten Selph and Rinoa off my back regarding the incident with Seifer they witnessed almost a week ago. Now that I think about it, their peculiar silence is weirding me out… Wouldn't they be usually on my case until I told them something? They both saw me slap Seifer, and his reaction to it… Oh well, I won't delve too deeply into it, and count my blessings for what they're worth…_

_Why me? On top of everything, after I returned to my quarters for some very well-deserved rest, I got a visit from Susana Mendoza, the pigtailed library girl that's been trying to find a way to Zell's heart through his stomach with those unhealthy hot-dogs. The poor thing was in tears… I didn't have the heart to turn her away. (But I was so damned tired!)_

_I said it before and I'm saying it now: Zell Dincht is a Hyne-freaking DIMWIT! I mean, what is his damned problem? He's got this perfectly beautiful girl standing before his very eyes and how does the IDIOT treat her? Like some glorified _**hot-dog**_ supplier! On top of that it seems that now he's hang-up over some girl he met a couple of days ago in Balamb… I tried to console Susana as best I could, I mean, short of _**ordering**_ Zell to be her boyfriend (And I was really, really, really tempted to do just that!) nothing I said would make her happy… only time (and a new love interest). All I could do for Susana was just to lend her a sympathetic ear, and keep a handy supply of Kleenex…_

_After hearing stuff like this, I think Rinoa should really count herself lucky! At least she knows that Squall will never stray. Hyne knows it took all of our concerted effort to get those two together! I swear at times it was more difficult than fighting the Sorceress… but our dear Commander, unlike others I'll not mention, actually got the message. They're good for each other, I can see that. She brings him out of his shell and he calms her down. In any case, I do think that this relationship thing is a bit overrated…_

_Selph and Irv are a prime example of what I mean… They are either all lovey lovey and cooing over each other or fighting because one of them is in a jealous fit! If anyone ever wondered what would happen when two flirts actually get together, they should just observe those two! They flirt in the same way other people breathe, to ask them to stop is like asking them to stop breathing… Oh well, they DO love each other, so I'm sure they'll work it out. (But seriously, I'm sort of worried about the kind of children those two might have…)_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_25.05.01 AU_

_My goodness with all of yesterday's commotion I had completely forgotten that today was Seifer's return to Garden, and I wouldn't have minded to have been kept in blissful ignorance a bit longer. But fate in the form of one Rinoa Heartilly, actually caught up with me after breakfast, and asked me to drive her this afternoon to pick Squall and Seifer up over at the Fire Cave. When I just looked at her stupidly, she giggled and told me she finally had some time off and wanted to watch their gunblade sparring match. _

_Rinoa's is Dr. Kadowaki's apprentice, so the poor girl has been rather busy in assisting the Doctor and learning the basics on how to tend wounds, check for vital signs, etc. I'm glad Rinoa found a place for herself in Garden. Dr. Kadowaki tells me she's a very gifted healer. All I know is that it keeps her very busy! If Selph, Rinoa and myself didn't make a concerted effort to visit each other and do things together, we would probably never see each other! That's how crazy our schedules are…_

_Take today as an example… To prepare for the upcoming mission, I had spent the entire morning researching the lost Centra Civilization in the library and reading over my notes from the last time we were at the ruins. I had managed to learn a bit more about those pictographs we saw carved on the walls but couldn't decipher. It's a pity I didn't have the time to record some of those ideograms the last time we were there, specially the ones in Odin's Chamber. I can't help but have the feeling that it would've been very helpful to us now. This time around, I'm making sure I'll bring home some images of those wall carvings. (Note to myself: get the Headmaster approval to do this!)_

_While in the library, I also wanted to ensure that Susana was alright, and she was. Darryl Stevenson, a SeeD that hangs around the library whenever Susana is working the front desk was there paying her much needed attention. Personally, I never cared for Stevenson, he tends to leer too much for my taste, but I can see that he's going out of his way to be very nice to Susana. Maybe it's just me that brings out those unsavoury tendencies on some people… Oh well, I can only hope that Zell comes to his senses before someone swipes Susana away beneath his very damned nose! _

_On my way to the cafeteria, I was waylaid by a group of eager cadets who wanted to know if I could give them extra help for their upcoming test on GF junctioning with Instructor Aki. Of course I said "no" but I softened my denial by letting them know of the Study Hall Committee, a newly created group of Garden's top students who had committed themselves to tutor other students. Now that I think about it… Those boys are some of my top students, why would they require extra help? As I saw them leave with their heads bowed, I heard a very distinct snicker behind me. It was Selphie, of course. She tsked at me and told me with a snigger that those boys were a bunch of Trepies just hoping to get some '_quality time_' with me. I just ignored her and changed the subject. I wanted her personal impression of the Centra Ruins since Selph possesses a very sharp mind and an impressive memory. _

_It was sheer wishful thinking from my part that I could actually distract Selph from her chosen warpath. During lunch, after reciting quickly (and in point form) her impression of Odin's Chamber, her guns were up again and they were aimed at me… She informed me gleefully that the Trepies were branching into T-Garden. I just looked at her flabbergasted and horrified (I seem to be doing nothing but that lately) and asked incredulously, **"WHY?"** For the first time since we've known each other (Well, at least each other as adults), Selphie looked exasperated. Her reply, **"Just keep askin' yoursel' that question Quisty and I'm sure the answer will come t' ya."** Then going completely off topic she reminded me to reserve a large vehicle for this afternoon since she was sure '_Seify_' had a lot of stuff, and in a burst of energy she was gone._

_I swear to Hyne, Selph and Rinoa must have communicator implants that can direct their thoughts to each other. It's just uncanny how the one knows what the other is doing… And since when did Selphie start to call Seifer, '_Seify_'? Humph, knowing him, I bet he loves being called by that particular nickname…_

_Just like Selph had said, when I finished teaching my last class, Rinoa was outside the classroom waiting for me. She wanted us to leave early so we could drive to Balamb and get Seifer's stuff. Rinoa giggled when she saw my expression, she then explained that Ma Dincht had made Zell stay and help Seifer pack his things (That must've been real a bizarre session!). She had also insisted that Seifer keep his sparring session with Squall saying, **"I want my boy to do well in the Field Exam and become SeeD."** To sum it up, in order to please Ma Dincht, Zell would be in Balamb to help us load Seifer's things into the car. Then, Rinoa and I would be picking up the sparring '_boys_' to drive them back to Garden… As I had said before: Do not underestimate Ma Dincht's power._

_I'm glad I reserved a large vehicle (I had already done so before Selph's advice), because after Balamb, Zell and Irvine (who just '_happened_' to be there '_helping out_') came with us to the Fire Cave. I guess we're all (Yeah…me too!) curious to see those two go about their Gunblade '_practice_.' Poor Selph was missing it all because she had promised Matron to help her out with something this afternoon (none of us can really say '_no_' to Matron)._

_When we arrived, those two were already engaged in battle. Their gunblades Lionheart and Hyperion clashing again and again in a blur of movement. Sometimes, Seifer would taunt Squall with his hand, inviting him to be the first to strike. Squall, used to Seifer's brash ways, ignored him, coldly measuring his contender's defence, looking for a weak spot where he could deliver a critical blow. This being a rather hot day for spring, they had both discarded their jackets (I have never cared for Squall's furry little black jacket anyway…) and were stripped down to their thin undershirt. I guess I would have to be dead if I didn't appreciate how nicely those garments outlined muscles bulging from the strain of the battle. I took a quick peek at Rinoa and noticed that she was also enjoying the view. Standing on the side, Zell and Irv appeared to be… exchanging gils? Where those two idiots placing bets? _

_Suddenly the sky darkened, the ground beneath us started to shake, and the air around Squall and Seifer began to swirl and transform into a great vortex of energy that spiralled wildly encompassing both of them. I was not junctioned to Shiva, but I could feel her stirring restlessly in the back of my mind. A loud roar was heard and suddenly Tiamat was there before them, hovering in mid-air, its massive form blocking the sky. Squall and Seifer, both dumbfounded, could only stare at the huge dragon. Unexpectedly, with another loud roar Tiamat just dove straight into Seifer and disappeared into him. After that, both Seifer and Squall collapsed onto the ground, unconscious._

_For a second we were all paralysed by what we had seen, but in a flurry of movement we all burst into activity. I made Zell drive back to Garden on the double to get Dr. Kadowaki. For some unexplained reason I was very reluctant to move them. I just made sure with Irv's help that they were resting comfortably on the ground, side by side. Rinoa had immediately seized Squall's wrist to check his pulse, once she was happy that it registered steady, she went on to check Seifer's. She then proceeded to do something very strange, she placed the palm of her hands, one on each forehead and closed her eyes, as if she were entering a trance. I stared at Irvine, who had been busy collecting the gunblades, but he just shrugged his shoulders in a _'beats-me'_ manner. _

_Rinoa was like that for what seems a long time, but it was only really ten minutes (I actually timed it…). When her eyes snapped open, she smiled at our grave expressions and told us not to worry, that both Squall and Seifer were just sleeping to recuperate from the enormous energy transfer that had just occurred. Moments such as this one make me realize that Rinoa, who has become a dear friend, is a sorceress full of untapped power. In any case, what she told us made no sense to me. What did she mean by '_energy transfer_'? And wasn't the huge dragon we saw Tiamat? I thought we had defeated it back in Ultimecia's Castle… How the hell did it get here? I guess Irv's question summed it up succinctly:** "Rina, what the **_**fuck_ is goin' on?" _**

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_26.05.01 AU_

_Seifer wrote his exam this morning and scored a perfect mark! When Headmaster Cid got the results, it was all he could do to keep from beaming when he told Squall and I the news. Squall just nodded his head and told us that he would go ahead and make the final arrangements with the Centran Governing Council in Nectar regarding the upcoming Field Exam-slash-Mission. _

_As for myself, I was full of conflicting emotions. I felt relieved that Seifer had passed, but I was also annoyed at him for his insistence on writing the exam today when I knew that the Headmaster himself had offered to postpone the date given yesterday's turn of events. Even after Seifer was told his exam would be administered and overseen by a Galbadian Garden Faculty member –handpicked no doubt by Headmaster Martine himself– to avoid any future problems with them, he had replied brashly with a **"Bring it on!" **_

_In the end the Galbadian Instructor, André Legrand, acted impartially. He showed neither delight nor dissatisfaction over the results. All he said was that the written requirements to become SeeD had been satisfied and that it was appropriate to proceed with the Field Exam. I was somewhat taken aback (but really, I shouldn't have been…) to see the whole gang (yep, Raijin and Fujin too) out there with Matron on the lead, waiting to hear the results from Seifer, who –to my utmost surprise– did not act in his usual arrogant cocky self , instead he just shrugged his shoulders and announced that he was ready for the Field Exam. _

_I can still see it in my mind's eye: Matron's wide teary smile as she enfolded Seifer in her arms and praised him,** "Well done, my son!" **_ _Perhaps she's forgotten (well it's been more than a year and a half now…) that Seifer always scored extremely well in his written exams (I don't think his pride would allow him to do any less…). He never became SeeD because he just kept on failing the Field Exams! The man cannot abide to take orders! This time around he's obeying MY orders, even if I have to tie him with _Save the Queen_ and sit on him! I could not bear to see Matron's face if he were to fail this time around._

_I'm preparing myself mentally for what I know will be an extremely gruelling mission, I've almost tapped into everyone's memory of the ruins with the exception of Rinoa. I would like to get her impressions of the place as well, but it's been hard to find any time to speak with her alone. With the uproar over yesterday's events and all… Who could've predicted that Seifer would acquire Tiamat as a GF? It just boggles the mind, I'm still trying to process the information! _

_Getting Tiamat was completely different from the way other GFs had been obtained. To summon Doomtrain, for example, the Solomon ring and a number of certain items were needed. Diablos was housed in a cursed item and had to be awakened and then subdued in a fight. Selph drew Siren from a very powerful monster, Elvoret, while fighting it. Likewise, we drew Eden out of its containment within an incredibly powerful bio-machine: the Ultima Weapon. I remember that fight well because it was long, difficult and deadly… But what do we really know about these powerful beings we call Guardian Forces?_

_Yesterday, when Zell finally arrived with Dr. Kadowaki and Matron in tow, Seifer and Squall had been unconscious for at least half an hour. We had done the best we could to keep them both warm, but the temperatures were beginning to plummet as day turned into night and the ground itself was cold. Irvine and I had gathered some firewood and lit fires around them, while Rinoa, by tapping into her sorceress powers kept a warm aura around the two of them._

_Once they were transported into the infirmary, Seifer and Squall were out cold for at least three more hours. Squall was the first one to recover, he just sat up abruptly and muttered,** "Eden?"** Not even five minutes later, Seifer surfaced himself and sat up like Squall but said nothing, instead he shook his head vigorously as if shaking off excess water. When Dr. Kadowaki saw that they were both awake, she shooed us all off the infirmary (except Matron) and into the waiting area._

_While we were waiting outside, Fujin and Raijin ran in and asked about Seifer. I assured them that he had just wakened and looked alright. We all sat down ready for a long wait, that's when I saw Selphie give Irvine a not very subtle nudge which prompted him to ask Rinoa a question I wanted to ask myself,** "What were you doin' with them out there?" **Rinoa looked at all of us and asked if we had our GFs with us during the Gunblade battle. When she saw us all assent, she nodded and said that there had been enough GF's present to open an energy portal for Tiamat to get out. _

_Apparently that portal had been available several times, but Tiamat had not cared to bond with anyone present. However, yesterday, it seemed to have recognized a kindred spirit in Seifer, because shortly after our arrival it had asked all the GF's present to open the portal (That must've been the energy swirls we all saw). Once out, Tiamat had headed without hesitation towards Seifer. Because Selphie (or her GF) was missing, in order to get enough power to unseal Tiamat from Eden, they had to draw it from their hosts: Eden drained Squall to allow the dragon GF out and Tiamat drew energy from Seifer in order to get in. This explains their collapse…_

_I know that some GFs are more compatible with certain people than others, but this is the only instance that I know of where the GF actually chose its human host. I must confess that I'm more confused now than before Irv asked the question! And I was not the only one, everybody looked equally baffled. Zell mumbled something which made me glare at him,** "…figures, even that asshole's GF is trouble…"**_ _As if it was something perfectly reasonable, Rinoa went on to explain that to ease their recovery she had drawn Eden out of Squall but that when she tried do the same for Seifer, Tiamat wouldn't let her! How can that be possible? Alright, if a GF bonds deeply enough with it's host (like Shiva and I), only the host's consent …or very powerful magic can draw it out. But Tiamat had just bonded with Seifer and Rinoa's magic_ is_ pretty powerful…_

_Before I could question Rinoa some more, Matron had come out to the waiting room to inform us that both Squall and Seifer were okay, but that Dr. Kadowaki was keeping them in the infirmary overnight for observation. They would be released in the morning (that is today). We had no choice but leave. In not so many words Matron had basically hang out the _'Do not Disturb'_ sign on the infirmary door._ _Oh, well, I do tend to digress… But it explains my annoyance with Seifer this morning. He was not even fully recovered, but he stubbornly refused to wait and even said, **"Waiting's for patsies."** I suppose he wanted to get the written exam over with…_

_To change topics, the Headmaster and Matron hosted a small dinner tonight in honour of the visiting instructor and we were all asked to attend. When Squall informed me of this during the working lunch we had together this afternoon, I almost groaned out loud. I mean, this Legrand person seemed nice enough, but I had hoped to spend the rest of the afternoon and night conducting some more research on the ancient Centrans… Somehow, I had this feeling that the knowledge would be crucial to the success of our mission._

_Since I thought dinner would be more like a formal business affair, I decided to wear my dress SeeD uniform. I've always thought that the uniform worn with glasses (Which I seldom take off these days) and my hair pinned up neatly, made me look very professional. I confess I was somewhat surprised when I walked into the Kramer's quarters tonight and found everyone –with the notable exception of Squall and myself– dressed up in their civvies! Rinoa, chatting on the side with Selph, was wearing her pretty little white dress. Selphie had on a very flirty yellow velvet dress with spaghetti straps. Matron wore a long pearly grey sheath dress with a scooped neck. It suited her very well. _

_Even the guys had dressed up! Irvine, who was engaged in a very animated conversation with Zell, had kept on his usual hat, but he was wearing a dressier charcoal grey duster. Zell looked quite elegant in his dark blue suit worn over a striped red shirt (I bet anything that's Ma Dincht's doing). If only he could keep from tugging at his necktie… he gave the impression that it too tight. Squall wore the SeeD dress uniform, which looks good on him anyway. The Headmaster, who was wearing a plaid jacket over his favourite red vest, looked more like an absent-minded professor than the head of one of the world's most powerful elite mercenary organizations._

_Instructor Legrand, conversing in a corner with Squall and the Kramers, seemed to be quite at ease. He wore a loose jacket over a white dress shirt and a pair of nicely tailored pants. As my eyes landed on the Galbadian instructor, Selphie, who had sided up to me, whispered, **"Younger than expected and cute too, huh?" ** I shook my head, I was very glad Irvine was too involved talking with Zell and now Rinoa who had gone to join them. Before I could reply (more like reprove mildly) to her comment, Seifer, the last guest arrived._

_Selphie, incorrigible as ever, whispered to my ear, **"Whoa! One howt hunkalicious knight, incomin'!"** I glared at Selphie, wishing her to be quiet. I could feel a blush suffusing my face… Selphie can be sometimes…so… Oh, I can't explain! And yes, Seifer looked good tonight. He wore a black tunic style jacket over a pair of straight-cut pants. The ensemble itself was very plain, but it served to showcase his tall and powerfully built body to great advantage. The very starkness of his outfit highlighted the strong masculine features of his face, and made his straw blond hair look almost like burnished gold. Even the diagonal scar he got from Squall served to give him an air of danger. _

_Seifer, never one to miss an opportunity, caught us ogling him (Okay, I admit it so sue me… I'm honest…). He winked wickedly at Selphie causing her to giggle. As for me, he looked me over up and down and just quirked an eyebrow. If it was possible for me to blush even more, I think my face would explode. I could just kill Selphie and her stage-whispering…_

_Dinner itself was quite uneventful. I was seated next to André (he'd asked me to call him by his first name) and Irvine. There were ten of us, so conversation flowed quite smoothly; although I must admit, my mind was not really focused on what was going on around the table… I was more preoccupied thinking about the mission. Thankfully, Legrand was seated next to the Headmaster, who kept his guest of honour quite occupied. Me, I think I smiled when I had to and went through all the polite gestures necessary. _

_After dinner, we all escorted Instructor Legrand to his waiting vehicle in Garden's Parking lot. When it was my turn to say goodbye ( I had a very trite phrase prepared), he suddenly grabbed both of my hands and told me,** "Quistis, Rumours of your beauty do not do you any justice." **I was so shocked by his outburst! I think he was about to kiss my hands when all of a sudden, instead of feeling Legrand's lips, I was staring at Seifer's broad back. How did he move so quickly? He just shook Legrand's hands with great enthusiasm and wished him a good trip. I could hear someone snickering behind me, but I was too stunned at the unexpected turn of events to look for the culprit. After his energetic farewell to Legrand, Seifer grabbed one of my arms and '_guided_' me (this is unfortunately becoming a bad habit of his!) towards the parking lot's entrance. Once there, without letting go of me, he had the nerve to turn around and wave goodbye to everyone!_

_To say that I was annoyed at his manhandling would be an understatement. I was furious. On the way to the dorm area I tried to wrestle my arm back, but his grip did not budge. I am no weakling, but he's damned strong! I ordered him to let go, but he just ignored me. He only released me when we arrived at my quarters. Silently fuming I punched in my code to release the door, then I turned around to tell him what I thought of his behaviour, but once again he proved to be faster than I. Quick as lightning, he grabbed my shoulders and leaned down close enough to whisper in my ear, sending tremors down my spine, **"You're a danger to yourself, Instructor."** And left._

_I just stood there staring at his retreating back, feeling like a simpleton. How did he do it? Why do I let him get away with it? I don't understand him. Most of all, I don't understand my reaction to him. _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_29.05.01 AU_

_This morning at exactly 0700 hours, we were assembled at the Headmaster's office for a comprehensive debriefing of the Field Exam/Mission. Xu Hideyoshi was also present because she handles the administrative details of all SeeD Field Exams, this one included. When I first caught sight of Seifer and Irvine I tried very hard not to cringe. They were wearing the requisite dark blue SeeD Cadet uniform…but Seifer was wearing his signature grey trench-coat with the fire-cross symbol over his, and Irvine had on his usual black hat and leather duster! Now is** NOT** the time to express your individuality, guys! Without even looking, I knew Xu was eyeing them coldly, she is a stickler for propriety and protocol and these two… To make it worse, she and Seifer never got along… but now, will she be adding Irvine to her black list?_

_Xu's a great friend and all, but she's really anal all things pertaining to Garden rules and regulations… (I guess, in comparison to her, I could be considered relaxed and easy going!) I suppose this is what makes her such a great administrator, she's familiar with all the twists and turns of Garden legislation. In my humble opinion, I think her talents are wasted in her present post. She could be doing so much more. _

_Going back to those two, at least they saluted the Headmaster and the Commander properly (I was worried about this too!). In that respect, Xu will have nothing to complain about. About our mission, I can't believe Headmaster Cid's little speech:_

"Everyone here? It's been a while everyone. How's everyone doing? (_I wish the Headmaster had skipped that little part, I could see Squall rolling his eyes…) _This exam will involve 2 Cadets. You will be proceeding to a real mission. Obviously, the battles are for real. Life and death, victory and defeat, honour and disgrace... Each of these go hand in hand. There's only one way or the other. How 'bout it? _(At this point even Xu had started to fidget, as to Seifer and Irvine? I didn't dare to look at them!) _Are you still up for it? You will be accompanied by one of our best elite SeeD, Quistis Trepe. _(Did he** have **to say that? I dared a look at Irvine, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere and Seifer, he just looked downright bored.) _Should you fail, there will be no backup available, therefore you cannot fail. The pride of Balamb Garden rests on your performance! _(I glanced at Squall and his bored expression was exactly the same as Seifer's! I know he would be mad at me if I mentioned that little detail to our dear Commander…)_ The elite mercenary force, SeeD! Prove yourself worthy of becoming a member of SeeD."

_Was I ever glad when the Headmaster concluded his speech! I know he means well with his pep talk, but I think he forgets who exactly it is that he's addressing… At least with Xu, we got down to mission details:_

"Our client for this mission is the Centra Governing Council, which as you know have their Headquarters in the town of Nectar. We have been under negotiations with them for over two weeks, but a formal request for a small team of SeeD was made only 48 hours ago. Four of their citizens, all members of very prominent Centran families have disappeared without a trace. The CGC had assigned three of their top level investigators to look into the matter, but they too have vanished. The last report the CGC received from their agents, about three days ago, states that the four disappeared were fond of wandering around the vicinity of Centra Ruins, a place taboo for all Centrans. The report also states that they found bits and pieces of torn clothing and some hair samples by the broken statue of a horseman. According to CGC Headquarters, they never received these items for a bio-scan because communication with their agents was abruptly severed, and they have not been able to re-establish a link. That's the current status.

Now onto the mission objective. The CGC wants us to search the ruins thoroughly for any evidence of the four disappeared or any of their own agents. They want us to deploy a small team, because they wish to keep these incidents hushed. _(More like they don't want to risk anymore of their own people…)_ Some in the Council are afraid that if news of these disappearances were to go out to the public, their lucrative Chocobo Racing Season would we affected _(Did I detect a certain sarcastic undertone on Xu's voice?)._"

_Squall continued with the briefing:_

"In any case, we were getting ready to investigate the matter ourselves, when the formal request came from the CGC. Apparently, the main reason they decided to hire us was prompted by the sudden disappearance of their own top agents, as well as the four aforementioned victims. According to **_our_** own investigation _(Even when placing special emphasis on _'our'_, does Squall know or care how deadpanned his voice sounds?)_, these disappearances are by no means isolated incidents. There has been at least more than seventeen unresolved cases of people vanishing into thin air around the area during the past month alone. To make it worse, our sources have confirmed the CGC claim that there has been some highly unusual monster activity in the vicinity of Odin's Tower. Our Garden with the help of White SeeD has been monitoring the situation very closely because of its proximity to Edea House. We have already deployed a small SeeD force to be stationed in the orphanage, just to be on the safe side. _(Of course! Matron no longer ran the orphanage that the Headmaster had renamed in her honour, but she kept very close tabs on it.)_"

_Xu added to the information Squall provided:_

"Certainly CGC's opportune request will help us defray the cost of the investigation, they are paying us **_very_** well. _(It was obvious the satisfaction behind Xu's voice…) _However, we do not think the Council has been completely honest with us. Our sources have confirmed what we had suspected all along… that the CGC is currently in the final stages of negotiating a staggering deal with the Deling Bank of Commerce to fund the construction of a racing dome complex. This explains why we were hired to do the job and not G-Garden, the Centran Council does not want **_anything_** to jeopardize this deal, but they also have to appease some very powerful and **_rich_** Centran families. _(Xu didn't say it in so many words, but the implication was there… We were hired because the Council decided we were expendable…)_"

_Squall continued with his deadpanned voice:_

"I would like to stress that the Council not only neglected to inform us of the rash of disappearances that they have been experiencing, but that the monsters sighted are also much more powerful mutations of the usual monsters that plague the area."

_I was astounded as to how silent Seifer and Irvine were being. They both stood at ease, Seifer with his arms crossed over his chest, Irvine leaning against the wall, both staring intently at Squall and Xu. I still remember a time when Seifer would have interrupted a Field Exam briefing at least a hundred times, complaining of boredom and tediousness. The Headmaster continued where Squall had let off:_

"What this means is that you will be operating with incomplete information. We have tried to fill in the blanks inasmuch as we can, but you should proceed on this mission with extreme caution. This is **_no_** ordinary Field Exam, Instructor Trepe is your designated squad leader, but you **_are_** free to act and think for yourselves. _(Great, now I'll have them both whining constantly on this mission!)_ In the unlikely case that your squad leader becomes incapacitated, we'll leave it up to you to decide who will be filling the position. I would also like to clarify that although this mission is being funded by the Centran Council, you are _not_ accountable to them. Your ultimate mission goal is to determine whether there is any threat posed to Edea House. As far as we know, no child has been reported missing. If a threat does exist, you are to report it immediately to Garden. I will leave it to your discretion on how to deal with it, but I would like to remind the three of you that this is **_not_** a suicide mission. No heroics. _(Was it my imagination or did the Headmaster look at Seifer sternly in the eye as he emphasized the part about heroics?)_"

_Xu supplied us with the more practical details:_

"We have included the files of the four disappeared and the three CGC agents, as well as a copy of their last report in your Portable Devices. Please study them and report to Ragnarok's docking station at exactly 1500 hours. On the first leg of your mission, you will be transported to the outskirts of the town of Pistille, site of the first disappearance. Once in town you are to operate undercover passing yourselves off as tourists. You have less than 24 hours to rendezvous with your contact in town and find out as much information as possible on the disappearances. _(Xu looked at Seifer and anticipated his question) _You'll be in no doubt as to the identity of your contact, this person's credentials are impeccable. I would like to stress the fact that you should start the official leg of your mission ASAP, while the tracks are still fresh. As it is, they are almost four days old… Most importantly, the CGC will be aware of your presence in the continent was soon as the Ragnarok enters their airspace, so your window of opportunity is quite small. Do not waste it. We will be providing you with ground transport. The CGC is unaware of the first leg of your mission and we want to keep it this way. Renting transport from an agency might make your movements too easy to track since I'm sure they will be trying to keep an eye on you… Please stop by Garden's Supply Depot as soon as possible, the requisition for mission supplies is ready for pick up."

_The Headmaster ended the briefing with his usual, _"Best of luck. Dismissed." _Seifer, Irvine and I saluted smartly and left the Headmaster's office. The briefing had lasted for a good two hours. In about half an hour I had another meeting, this time with Instructor Aki who had kindly agreed to teach my classes while I was gone. As the three of us headed to the lift I overheard Seifer and Irvine discussing…guns? How did those two get to be so chummy? And what is it about boys and guns? In any case, it was too much for my caffeine depleted mind, so I just clued them out… _

_Without thinking, I had followed the two of them into the cafeteria, where Selphie's high pitched voice penetrated my brain with her, _"Irvy! Seify! Quisty!"_ Rinoa and Susana? were seated next to her, as well as Zell who was busy… Yecch! Eating hot-dogs. Now that I think about it, Susana is nice and everything, but she might be feeding Zell into an early grave with such unhealthy food! I could see Irv was grossed out but he said nothing. Seifer, however, was not so reticent, disgust was clear in his voice when he said,__**"Chickenwuss! D'ya have to be so disgusting this early in the mornin'?"** I glared at Seifer but Zell ignored him and took another huge bite of his hot-dog. Thankfully, the opportune arrival of his posse distracted Seifer from his favourite pastime, which is to provoke Zell into losing his temper._

_As I was gulping down my coffee (I had been pleasantly surprised by Fujin, who had very kindly brought me a nice steaming cup of my favourite brew), I noticed that Rinoa and Selphie had decided to join forces and taken Susana under their wing. I don't know who to commiserate more, Zell or Susana… Those two girls are absolutely ruthless when it came to matchmaking! (Well…better Susana than me!) Selphie, who had perched herself on Irvine's lap and was feeding him bits and pieces of muffin (Really! They are too much!) decided to aim her guns at Seifer this time, **"Hey, Seify! I heard rumours that last week the magazine MY BISHOUNEN FIX made you an incredible offer!" **I choked on my coffee, that particular magazine was the counterpart of GIRL NEXT DOOR directed to the female market! I was ever glad I was seated next to Fujin, who promptly handed me a napkin. Had it been Raijin, I could see myself flying across the table with one pat from those beefy hands. _

_When I raised my head, Selphie had planted herself on Seifer's lap! That girl sure has quick moves! I looked at Irvine, fully expecting him to throw a jealous fit, but he just kept on eating his breakfast with an incredible lack of concern… Rinoa and Susana were giggling incessantly, and even Zell had stopped eating. Seifer reacted as if he was used to Selphie's drop-bomb style of questioning. He looked down at her, she had settled herself comfortably on his lap, and asked lazily,** "What of it Messenger Girl?"**_ _To which Selph replied with a dreamy look on her face that if he had accepted the offer, she wanted to be the first in line to get the magazine and have him autograph it for her… Very coolly, Seifer lifted Selph off his lap and deposited her on Irvine's without answering her question. He then got up and announced,** "I'm outta here, gotta take care of a few things." **And left with his posse following close behind. I wanted to stay and interrogate Selphie but I took one glance at my watch and realized that I had to run or I would be late meeting Instructor Aki!_

_Fortunately, my meeting with Aki went off without a hitch. After that, I went by the Supply Depot to pick up my gear and decided to return to my quarters for a much needed nap before the mission… I must've been really tired because I just completely blacked-out. Had it not been for the incessant pounding on my door, I think I would've disgraced myself by being unforgivably late for the start of the mission! When I slid my door open, Seifer was there ready to pound at it again. When he saw me he started to say,** "Instructor, I wanna ask you somethin' about the upcomin' mis…"**_ _But he never finished his sentence, instead his eyes travelled slowly down my body forcibly reminding me that I was standing before him IN MY UNDERWEAR! Oh Hyne, my face must've been flaming red! How could I forget? _

_Again, his lightning quick reflexes got the better of me, before I could boot him out or cover myself, he grabbed me and pushed me inside my own room, closing the door behind him! To top it all, he had the nerve to get mad at me! He wanted to know if I liked flashing myself for everyone in Garden to see… I got so angry myself that I forgot my state of undress. I fisted my hands on my hips and started to berate him: How dare he manhandle me, didn't he know his own damned strength? I informed him that I was still carrying bruises from the last time he had grabbed me. With each sentence I was getting more and more upset, I ended my diatribe by thumping my index finger on his chest to punctuate each word,** "What is your problem?"**_

_Seifer, who had withstood my verbal onslaught silently, grabbed my wrist and answered with a smirk, **"None, Instructor, but if you don't hurry up you'll be late reporting for the mission. You are still …not dressed."**_ _To my absolute horror, I remembered I only had my bra and panties on! But Seifer, that jerk, had not! He was quite blatantly eyeing my figure. I glared at him, yanked my wrist from his grip and slammed myself into the bathroom. I was beyond embarrassment at this point._

_To my relief, when I came out (This time I made sure I was covered from neck to toe in my terrycloth robe), he was gone. Keeping in mind that the first part of the mission would be undercover, I decided to forego my usual peach battle-gear (I'm frankly getting quite tired of it, but had been too lazy to get something else…) and pulled on a pair of low-cut stretch jeans. I wore my usual double chain belt, clinching _Save the Queen _snugly in it's usual slot hoping that it would look like a fashion accessory. Since I knew Centra's weather to be on the warm side, I wore the knit halter top Selphie gave me for my last birthday; however, to be on the safe side (I know it sounds crazy, given my close affinity to Shiva, but I tend to be very sensitive to cold…) I tied a cardigan around my waist. As to my hair, I decided to wear it in two long pigtails (I'm in desperate need of a haircut!) and pulled on a cotton tuque that Rinoa had knitted for me. When I saw myself in the mirror, I looked like an inconspicuous tourist._

_I arrived at the docking station five minutes before the rendezvous time. Seifer and Irvine were already there talking to Nida who was to be our pilot. I saw one of the parking attendants driving a heavy terrain vehicle into Ragnarok's cargo bay. Irv spotted me first, he let go a wolfish whistle with a, **"Lookin' good, Squad Leader!"** which alerted the other two. (Sometimes I could cheerfully kill Irvine…). Seifer turned around and just said with mocking undertones, **"After you, Oh, Squad Leader!" ** I ignored him and smiled at Nida, who had politely stepped aside to allow me to enter Ragnarok first. Once we were all seated and securely strapped, Nida took off. _

_The flight to the Centra continent was less than two hours long and silent. Seifer was actually studying the data on his PD, while Irvine was dozing off (Having Selph as a girlfriend must be exhausting). I noted that those two had taken the undercover part of the mission seriously and had dressed accordingly. Irvine was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt with the words _– I LOve Trabian Girls! –_ emblazoned on it and a red bandana tied loosely around his neck. Instead of his usual chaps Irv had on a pair of faded jeans, but he had kept his cowboy hat. Seifer also on a t-shirt, except that his said _– Die Gedanken Sind Frei! –_ worn over a pair of khaki cargo pants. Had it not been for the wicked weapons they had holstered to their side, they could've pass as fun-loving tourists. _

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

Translation from the French:

What's the use of love ?  
We're always told  
Such senseless stories

What's the point of loving?  
Love cannot be explained  
It's just like that

It comes from nowhere  
And takes you by surprise  
Me, I've heard say

That love makes you suffer  
That love makes you cry  
What's the point of loving?

–Edith Piaf–

Seifer's Tshirt says "Thinking is Free!"

The Headmaster and Xu's speech are slight modifications from the game's script so kindly compiled by oliverkong(at)hotmail(dot)com for the website: http/db(dot)gamefaqs(dot)com/console/psx/file/finalfantasyviiiscript(dot)txt 


	16. The Bitter Lapse Into Everyday Life

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 15 : **The Bitter Lapse Into Everyday Life**

The unexpected sting of air may hurt the lungs, but they are unable to grasp that, and therefore feel no pain.

Sight is a nebulous perception of shadow.

A whole world may be unfolding outside the eyelids—_but they have no eyes._

_No._

_They have eyes, but they cannot see._

_They have a mouth, yet they cannot speak._

_Perception is closed to them._

_Only the voice._

That voice is their only conduit to reality.

That voice is stirring inside them a maelstrom of confusing sensation.

Unwelcomed.

Unwanted.

_The journey was harsh and onerous._

Some made it—_the stronger ones.  
_

Some did not—_the weaker ones._ They were expendable.

_They were called forth to fulfill an oath given long ago, at the dawn of time itself._

_The ones that made it, had a stronger sense of attachment. Even after all this time._

The voice continues to beckon the forgotten ones.

_Time has weakened the binding seal._

As the voice becomes stronger, feelings of sorrow, of non-comprehensible welled up sorrow begin to surface.

And a deep envy of those left behind.

And a deep hatred for all things living.

And the voice gains in strength...

* * *

To be continued…


	17. Sway Into The Sun

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 16: **Sway Into The Sun**

_A scary tale on this day leads our song  
What can I say? How naïve this cliché  
The pulse goes on, the end we anticipate  
Some story ends and hurrah!  
Summer begins, what can I say?  
Call it nature, call it fate  
How we love to exaggerate!_

_Think of one of your own reasons why  
We are bound yet alone, just passing by  
All we have to forget  
All we have to forget  
Sway into the sun… Tonight_

–Brazilian Girls–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_30.05.01 AU_

_I was too exhausted yesterday to finish the narrative of what ended up being an incredibly and excruciatingly long, long, long day… And yes, I think I fell asleep on the desk… How I ended up in bed… Well, let me continue with yesterday's events. _

_When Nida finally deposited the three of us and our vehicle on the outskirts of town, it was already late in the afternoon. I forestalled any arguments from Irvine and Seifer by planting myself on the driver's seat and looking pointedly at the two of them. They tsked at what they called my _'underhanded'_ methods and climbed into the vehicle._

_Our mission had began. _

_Before entering town, I reminded them to conceal their weapons in the large duffle bags we had been provided, and to keep our GFs junctioned at all times. (I didn't really expect any hostile action in town, but one can never be too prepared, right?) I also thought it would be a good idea to establish some sort of identity that would make it plausible for the three of us to be seen together. I suggested that Irvine could pass himself off as my boyfriend (This way I could control his penchant for flirting), and Seifer could be my little brother (So that when he took orders from me, it would make sense)… After all, we are both blond and I am older than he is. They both stared at me as if I've grown an extra head!… In absolute amazement._

_Seifer, who was seated behind, was the first to react, or should I say, to object. Firstly, he told me, he didn't want to be my _'little brother'_ (I swear he almost spat the phrase out…as if it were something too revolting to consider. I felt a bit hurt by his attitude. Was it so bad to be my brother?). Secondly, in his opinion, we didn't even look remotely alike and I was only the older by a few months not a few years. And lastly, if anyone were to be the _'baby brother'_, Irvine should do the _'honours'_ as he was in fact the youngest of the three. To add fuel to the fire, Irvine, who was seated next to me, piped in wanting to know if being my boyfriend also came with all the perks the title implied. I must say I was quickly reaching my boiling point, because they were being** so** difficult, but I counted mentally to ten before I asked –in what I hoped was a reasonable voice– if they had any **better** ideas._

_Really, now that I think back, I should kick myself for not paying closer attention to Seifer's expression… But he was seated in the back, and I was driving… He suggested that we should play it by the ear, since we would be arriving first at the hotel anyway. Once we had checked in, and had enough time to gauge our surroundings we should be able to come-up with something plausible and more _acceptable_ for the three. (He put the emphasis on the word _'acceptable'_) I looked at Irvine hoping that he would object to Seifer's proposal, but all I got from him was a, **"Sure, sounds good to me."** Are these two going to gang up on me all through this freaking mission?_

_The traffic was horrendous but the hotel we were looking for was not difficult to find. It was located in a very busy part of town, by a very picturesque fountain surrounded by pots and pots of blue and yellow flowers. It seems that everything in Pistille has a horticultural theme or name! The hotel our contact had mentioned, for example, was called _Château Flore_, the largest one of its kind in town. I was hoping that we would find rooms there, because –for the sake secrecy– it was decided that reservations would not be made ahead of time. (Of course, it wouldn't be the first time I've slept on a vehicle while on a mission…but…I would rather not, specially with Seifer and Irvine!)_

_The reception desk was manned by a very attentive young man. He looked at me and gave me a very wide smile (I had left Irv and Seifer outside to park the car and take care of our gear). When I asked him if there were any rooms available for the night, he quickly checked his terminal, and told me with a grin that one of the best rooms in the hotel was free. I was about to tell him that I just needed three very plain rooms, when I felt a hard torso press itself to my side while a heavy arm looped itself tightly around my waist. Directly above me, I heard Seifer's voice telling the receptionist that we needed two rooms, one for himself and me,** his wife**, and the other for his assistant, Irvine Bergson , who happened to be standing with our gear on the lobby, and already flirting with somebody! (Hyne! Why me?)_

_I turned to glare at Seifer. Without even bating an eyelid, he bent to give me quick peck on the lips and told the receptionist that we were newlyweds! We couldn't bear to be apart so **he** (The nerve of the man!) decided to make this a working holiday! Knowing that I couldn't do much at this point, I smiled weakly at the receptionist and while his attention was temporarily diverted… I discreetly elbowed Seifer in the gut. Hard. As hard as I could make it. Maybe it was childish of me, but when I heard his grunt of pain, I was very happy. Even if my elbow stung, and his gut had felt like it was made of Diamond Armour, I was happy to have caused him some pain. If I was going to be a Mrs. Q. Dequincy, he was paying for it. _

_Of course, my little victory was short lived. Seifer retaliated by shifting slightly to position himself directly behind me and clamping both his arms around me, thus effectively immobilizing me. My back was pressed so tightly to him that I could feel every hard muscle of his chest. I felt him move slightly so he could whisper warningly in my ear,** "Behave yourself, Trepe!" **(Lately, he seems to get a kick out of doing this… What is it with him?) Had I been capable of movement, he would be feeling my _Save the Queen_ wrapped tightly around his neck! I'm sure from his vantage point, the receptionist must've thought that _'Mr. A. Dequincy' _couldn't wait to be alone with his _'wife'_, because in less than the blink of an eye he was already handing to a porter the card-key to _'our'_ room with a, **"The porter will take you to your room, please enjoy your stay with us!"**_

_As we followed the porter down the short trek to _'our'_ room, I was getting seriously annoyed, not only at Seifer but at Irvine too. I had to cough out loud three times before that flirting sharpshooter got the message, and came over to where we were standing! It didn't help my temper that when he finally joined us, his eyes went directly to where Seifer's hand had a dead grip on my upper arm. (Oooh! I can still see Irvine raise his eyebrow as his eyes avidly recorded the event to share later with Selphie…) I decided then and there that I had allowed those two to set the agenda on this mission for far too long. It was time for me to take control. _

_I must reluctantly admit to myself that I'm not immune to Seifer's proximity. That light peck he gave me had made my lips tingle, and the feel of that hard body pressed against mine had made me all hot and bothered. Yeah… I was attracted to that arrogant, cocksure jerk! My mind didn't like it, but my body and the way it reacted to him was another matter… In any case, I know why Seifer does it: (a)because he can and (b) he knows it annoys me. I don't need this! I need to concentrate on this mission. It's far too important. The stakes are too high._

_Once the door closed behind the porter, I yanked my arm from Seifer's grasp and went directly to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I heard him taunt me with a, **"Tch, tch, Instructor, what a temper!"** I sluiced some cold water over my face and tried to control my rising temper. By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, I was feeling more my usual cool and collected self. I was not surprised to see that Irvine had arrived already, his room was only two doors away from this one. I had also heard him come in. When he saw me, by way of salute he said, **"Hey Boss Lady! Got somethin' for ya. Found it waitin' for me in my room."** He handed me a small square piece of paper that read: _

Hops and Vines Pub

8:00 p.m.

_I looked at my watch and to my deep consternation it was already a quarter past seven! Abruptly, I said we had to leave immediately, when I noticed that they were both ready to go. (Thanks Hyne for small mercies!) Irv had put on a vest over his t-shirt, while Seifer wore an unbuttoned short-sleeve shirt over his. As I quickly roped my whip around my jeans to make it look like a belt, I was wondering why the boys were not protesting their lack of weapons. When I looked up at Irvine, he must've guessed my thoughts, because he winked at me and opened his vest to show me a wicked handgun strapped to the side. I looked at Seifer, and assumed that he must've armed himself similarly._

_As luck had it, the pub was not too far from the hotel. Given the amount of traffic around the busy hotel area, I suggested walking to the place. The streets were jam-packed with locals and tourists. To make matters worse, Seifer insisted on us holding hands because we were supposed to look like newlyweds. I decided not to make a scene, Irv was already giving us a funny look, something between surprise and amusement. I scowled at him but said nothing. I had learnt to pick my battles…_

_The inside of the pub was no different from the streets, it was packed to the rafters with people. I followed Seifer and Irvine as they carved a path to the bar. Before I could reach where those two had stationed themselves, I felt a hand grab my elbow and an unmistakable voice call out to me, **"Instructor! What a pleasant surprise! Fancy seeing you here!"** I turned around and looked into the friendly face of Wembley O'Donner, ex B-Garden Festival Committee head, ex SeeD Cadet. He went on to say, **"Looking more beautiful than ever, I see."** I smiled at him, O'Donner had been a terrible student, but a thoroughly nice person. As I recalled, him being in Garden had been a means to fulfil his mother's dream, not his own. I didn't want to blow my cover, so I fed him the prepared line, **"Yeah, I decided to see for myself what the Chocobo races are all about." **_

_Perhaps for old times sake or because we were not in Garden, O'Donner asked me to join him for a drink. I was about to reply that I was here with other people, when I saw him blanch. I felt a brawny arm wrap itself around my waist and a familiar torso press itself against my back. Right next to my side, I could see Irvine with his arms crossed over his chest, giving poor Wembley an assessing look. I looked up and was not surprised to see Seifer, who was frowning down at O'Donner's hand still resting on my elbow. The poor guy gulped noisily and let go of my arm as if it were made of hot coals. I suppose with the two of them towering over him, poor Wembley must've felt quite intimidated… _

_I discreetly tried to shake off Seifer's grasp, but instead of letting go, he just clamped his other hand on the elbow that Wembley had just freed. Sighing at the man's stubbornness, I intervened on poor O'Donner's behalf, **"I was asking Wembley here, who happens to be an ex-student of mine, if he would like to join us for a drink."**_

_I could see what they were thinking, _'What about finding our contact?'_ For all we know, Wembley O'Donner could be our contact… Then it suddenly dawned on me –Hewasour contact! He had always been an excellent actor, hence his involvement with the Garden Festival. Without allowing anyone a say, I grabbed Wembley's hand and frowned up at Seifer. He got the message and took his arm off my waist, but kept his other hand on my elbow and his gaze trained on poor Wembley. I looked around the busy place to see if we could find a place to sit only to have Irvine wave at us by an empty round booth. (Irv's always been a fast operator…)_

_Once we were all seated, I turned to ask Wembley, who was at one end of the booth with me on the other side (Seifer and Irvine tried to make me sit between them, but I'm learning to handle these two ), if he had any news of interest to share with us. Before he could answer, we were interrupted by a waitress who asked us in a bored voice what we wanted to drink… That is until she got a good look at my two team members. The transformation from bored to sultry was fascinating to watch and hear. She was pretty good-looking but I could see that she was wasting her time. Seifer just gave her a cursory look with those green eyes of his, and turned to ask me what I wanted. I was very thirsty, so I asked for mineral water (I don't like drinking, plus I can't really hold my liquor). He raised an eyebrow at my request, but said nothing. He ordered the local draft for himself. The waitress must've seen Seifer's arm draped over my booth seat (It was kind of hard to miss) because she decided to concentrate her charms on Irv. That consummate flirt tipped his hat up and smiled at the poor girl, who probably would've melted into a puddle had I not kicked that sharpshooter real hard under the table, and caused him to yell,** "Ouch!"** He glared at me but got the message and placed his order quickly.I guess poor Wembley was used to being ignored, because he had to grab the waitress before she left, and ordered a pint of ale for himself._

_When she left, I looked at Wembley again. His eyes darted around the place and once he considered we were on the clear, told us that he had been contacted by Xu to find as much information on the disappearances as he could muster. Our own files on the disappeared were pretty sketchy, because they had been supplied by the CGC. All we really had on each disappeared was a mug shot and the minimum physical description: height, eye and hair colour, clothing worn when last seen. I told Wembley that any information he could give us to flesh out their profiles would be extremely helpful. Before he could continue, Seifer, always the skeptic, interrupted. He wanted to know why we should trust him. Wembley forgot his fear of Seifer and told him indignantly that his mother, Trish O'Donner, who had worked in B-Garden's cafeteria for well over thirty years would vouchsafe for his trustworthiness! When Wembley said the name Trish, Seifer's eyes widened and then nodded his head curtly. Irv's reaction was less contained, **"Hot damned! Your mom's the hot-dog lady?" **_

_I harrumphed so that we could return to the original topic of conversation, but to my utmost frustration, our waitress returned with our drinks. As she distributed them, Irvine asked her if they served any food, to which she replied that for him they would serve just about anything, **"Just ask handsome…"** She darted a flirtatious glance at Seifer too. When Irvine mentioned food, I realized I was hungry too. I asked Wembley if he would like to eat with us, he agreed and mentioned that the food in the pub was actually very good. So without much ado, we ordered food (A mountain of food!). Since I knew that we would be interrupted again, I just talked with Wembley about trivial things, while Seifer and Irvine –after listening in for a few minutes– grew bored and resumed their discussion on guns…_

_After hunger was satisfied (I look at those flat bellies and wonder where do they put those 20 ounce steaks and the huge mound of fries, not to mention that enormous slice of apple pie?), I wanted to resume our initial conversation, but Wembley suddenly slid off the booth and grabbed one of my hands with both of his. He turned it so that my palm was facing down… I could feel something cool and flat slide beneath my palm, and I looked at him. He kissed the flat of my hand quickly, and returned it to where it was originally, on my lap underneath the table. He'd done everything so very smoothly and quickly. Of course Seifer reacted, but he was trapped between me and Irv. Wembley was smart enough to know that he was out of Seifer's range, and that I would act as a buffer between them. In any case, his own sense of personal safety must've been pretty acute, because he didn't overstay his welcome. Like a frightened rabbit, Wembley took one look at Seifer and bid us all a quick goodbye. Irvine just watched the entire proceedings with very amused eyes, no doubt filing every detail away so he could tell Selphie! (If I sigh anymore I might not have any breath left…)_

_It was almost midnight when we finally we made it back to our hotel. I was exhausted, but I knew I wouldn't sleep until I took a look at the information that Wembley's chip contained. I dismissed Irv telling him to get some sleep and to meet us in the lobby at 0900 hours tomorrow. Once we got into our room, it suddenly dawned on me that I had to share a bed with Seifer! I glanced at the huge bed that dominated the large room and was relieved to see that least it was king-sized. Seifer was expecting an argument over the sleeping arrangements –I could see it on his face– but I think I've learned to handle him better… (Always learn from past mistakes, Quistis!) _

_Acting as if I shared a bed all the time (I've shared rooms during missions, but never the same bed…), I waved my hand over the mattress and told him to choose whichever side he wanted. It was fun to see his eyes widen. I knew I've managed to surprise him…but it was soon replaced by his usual smirk as he said, **"I knew you couldn't resist me, Trepe!"** Then he started to strip in front of me! Trying desperately to maintain my cool and to not look at his bared torso, I borrowed a line from Squall's repertory and said, "Whatever, I'm going to shower, then I'm going to do some work on my PD…" I quickly rummaged inside my rucksack for my sleeping gear, with it in hand, I went into the bathroom and closed the door softly behind me…_

_I was proud of myself for not showing him how his nakedness affected me. (At least I hope that he attributed the heightened colour in my face to the sweltering heat!) I turned the faucet on and sluiced some cold water all over me… Hyne! Did he have to be so nicely made? The sight of those broad shoulders tapering down to slim hips… When he had taken off his t-shirt I could see sleek muscles rippling down his back… (I sincerely hope he didn't hear me gulp! It would be too embarrassing!)_

_When I came out of the bathroom, he had installed himself on the side of the bed facing the bathroom door and was keeping busy by watching a newscast. To my utmost relief he had kept his boxers on…and by the mocking smile on his face, he was aware of it... Sighing once again, I just grabbed my PD and sat myself down at the ubiquitous desk that all hotel rooms seemed to have. The desk was placed right in front of a set of bay windows located a bit away from the sleeping area. As I inserted the chip Wembley gave me into my PD, I heard Seifer turn off the viewer and head into the bathroom._

_I started to scroll down the data on my unit. I could see why Garden had retained Wembley's services although he never made it to SeeD. He had superb intelligence gathering skills… They should really think about opening up that category as a SeeD specialty. We would always need combat specialists but we also needed people like him… Wembley's files gave a full profile of each person who disappeared, the chronology of their disappearance and a detailed list of monsters sighted in the area. Particularly useful were his annotations under each monster listed. A lot of them had a _'not common to the area', _or _ 'an unknown mutation of the better known…'

_I heard Seifer yell a **"… 'night, Trepe."** I must've answered in kind, because it became quiet again. My eyes were probably red-shot and I desperately needed a good night's sleep, but I stubbornly decided to plough my way through the files… The first one to disappear was one Conrad Knipper, age 19. The only son of the richest family in Pistille (I see they own this hotel as well…)…who according to rumours…_

'…not a very popular young man around town, possessed of a particularly  
'nasty streak. Liked to flash his wealth and importance around. Fiancée  
'is a socialite from Deling City whose father moves in high military circles…  
'Knipper was in the center of a very public scandal at age 16 regarding some  
'girl he had been dating. She was found strangled on the outskirts of town.  
'Pistille's Medical Examiner confirmed she had also been raped before death  
'and sodomized after. 

_I thought I was going to puke…poor thing…to suffer such indignities in life and after death… That was one huge sick person… _

'All circumstantial evidence pointed to Knipper but his family had the case  
'dismissed in court for lack of _real_ evidence as their team of lawyers were able  
'to obtain an injunction against using DNA evidence, citing the alleged suspect  
'was a minor. Knipper was whisked away to the remote Galbadian town of  
'Lallapalooza near the border with Timber, where the family owns a chalet… 

'While Knipper was in Lallapalooza, a local girl was reported missing, her  
'remains never found. Local Galbadian authorities dismissed the disappearance  
'by announcing that the girl had fled with her intended to Deling City. A week  
'after this, Knipper was able to return to Pistille, since apparently the Centran  
'Civil Forces in cooperation with Pistille police had found the real murderer-rapist.

_Humph… they probably framed someone to take the flack. Not hard when you practically own the town… _

'Knipper was last seen skulking around the vicinity of Odin's Tower.  
'His friends…

_Can someone like that have any? Probably more like hanger-ons…_

'claim that in the weeks before his disappearance, Knipper was acting more  
'paranoid than usual and was driving his family crazy by stating that he had  
'found the secret to immortality.

_My goodness, I can barely keep my eyes opened… Next person... Here is… –_Yawn!_– Patricia Barofsky, 20 years old. (She's only older than me by a couple of months…) Heiress to an old Centran fortune. Wow! She was part of an Ultimecia cult? How crazy is that?_

'…family has kept it hushed, but after the Second Sorceress War, Barofsky   
'joined a cult who wanted to bring back the sorceress Ultimecia by means of  
'practicing the Black Arts. The Centran Intelligence Agency have dismissed  
'any potential threat posed by this cult by calling it a "Youth Club" since the  
'majority of its members are just a bunch of rich and dissolute kids with  
'nothing better to do than trying to resuscitate a long dead Sorceress…

_The CIA would dismiss the cult, these kid's parents practically own three quarters of the Centra continent…_

'Barofsky does not possess a criminal record. She was last seen around the  
'Centran Ruins, but the source is considered to be unreliable as he was  
'driving drunk at the time of the sighting…

…_Hmm… Next person… Sasha Tavares, 18 years old …She's quite pretty but she looks wasted in this photo-image. Oh… she's the youngest daughter of Centran Council Member Joseph Tavares. Hyne! She's a wild thing…! Suffers from an addiction to the designer drug, _'Bliss'. _Why would anyone choose to throw away their life this way?_

'The drug BLISS produces incredible highs but the falls are equally terrible.  
'The takers are induced into a state of manic depression to the point of being  
'suicidal. The only way to combat the lows is by taking the drug again. In its  
'purest form the street price of this drug is around five to six thousand gil a gram.  
'There are no know treatments for this drug. It's rumoured that the drug is one of  
'Dr. Odine's more nefarious creations. The original intent of the drug was to bring  
'out and then suppress a potential sorceress, but since the three sorceresses that we  
'know in existence have categorically refused to participate in Odine's experiment, 

_Thanks Hyne for that!_

'in typical Odine fashion, he just sold off the drug patent to a Centran pharmaceutical  
'company as some sort of anti-depressant and washed his hands off the whole affair.  
'When the unfortunately side effects of the drug became impossible to ignore, it was  
'recalled but by that time, it had already made its way underground under the street  
'name of BLISS…

…

…

…_The next time I opened my eyes, I was lying in bed tucked under the light covers. I could feel a nice breeze coming from the open balcony doors I happened to be facing… Something hard and warm was pressed against my back and I could feel something heavy draped across my waist and over my hips. I remember wondering sleepily about the gentle rise and fall of the mattress against my back… How was it possible as I was sleeping on my side… When comprehension dawned! My eyes popped wide open and I sat up like a badly wound up toy. SEIFER! I looked down stupidly at the muscular arm that was still draped over me… Fortunately if came off easily when I pulled at it (It would be nice if the same could be said when he's awake). He just mumbled something in his sleep, and turned onto his back. I was relieved that my sudden move didn't wake him up, because I was embarrassed enough as it was. I just SPENT THE NIGHT cuddled up to a guy! And not just any guy, but SEIFER ALMASY! …I felt myself blushing profusely! _

_I couldn't help myself, I took a peek at him… He looked so peaceful in his sleep… I just sat there gazing at him as the first rays of the sun bathed the room golden, bathed him golden, his tousled hair, his eyebrows… Those long lashes, the patrician nose, the high cheekbones… That incredible body… He must've wakened during the night, seen me asleep at the desk, and carried me here… It was the only logical explanation. I'm just having a hard time trying to accept his _'caring?'_ gesture –at least towards me… I know he's more than capable of caring for people, Matron, Ma Dincht, Rinoa… _

_I forced myself to look away. Nothing would come out of it anyway… I've seen the girls he goes for and I'm definitely not like them… I mean, those girls are stunning (take Rinoa for example, or the girl I saw him with in Balamb City), the sort that have a line-up of guys waiting to go out with them. As far as I know, no guy has ever asked me out –Trepies don't count. (It must be some kind of teacher worship that they will hopefully outgrow!) _

_Perhaps I became an instructor too young; on the other hand, I enjoy teaching too much to regret it... In any case, there's really no time to dwell on it… There's a mission to prepare for! _

_I was re-braiding my pigtails, which had gotten messy overnight, when Seifer started to pound the bathroom door yelling at me to hurry up (How typical!). I opened the door and glared at him. Really! Did he want to wake the entire floor with his ruckus? He just gave me his familiar smirk, and said as he entered the bathroom, **"Geez! Are we Ms. Sunshine today or what?"** I chose to ignore his comment and walked in front of the dresser to finish braiding my hair. When I was done I went to the bathroom door and yelled at Seifer through the door to hurry up (See how he liked that!), and that I would see him in the lobby. We were checking out this morning, and heading straight to the Centra Ruins._

_On my way down, I agonized on whether I should thank him for carrying me to bed or not. Had he not done so, I know that this morning my entire neck, not to mention my body would be suffering from soreness, on top of being stiff… Since I woke up before he did, he couldn't possibly know that I had cuddled up to him during the night… (Even thinking about it now makes me blush!) In the end, I decided that thanking him would be the right thing to do. No matter how annoying or confusing I found him, I thought I should thank his act of kindness._

_I was not surprised that Irvine was not there when I stepped into the lobby as it was still a bit early. There were a few people milling about, but it was certainly a far cry from the busy place it was yesterday when we arrived. I decided to avail myself of the many cosy sitting areas to wait for Irvine and Seifer to arrive. I wanted to go over the files I missed yesterday when I had dozed off. Not long after I was seated, a waitress approached me to ask if I would like a pot of the complimentary tea or coffee. (I give this hotel five stars!) After taking a sip of coffee (A heavenly brew!) I started to read the rest of the files… _

_I was halfway through reading about one Galen Tierce, the fourth disappearance, when I was interrupted by this pleasant looking young man who asked me politely if the armchair next to me was taken. Startled, I just looked up from my PD and absently said, **"No."** (I did notice that there were other empty settees available, but the spot I had chosen was a nice and sunny one) I was going to resume my reading, when he interrupted again by asking me if I was a new arrival as he didn't notice me yesterday. Perplexed at his question, I replied politely that the lobby was very crowded when I checked-in. I was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable at this man's close scrutiny, when I felt a hand lift my chin up, and a mouth seize my lips in a searing kiss. _

"_**Mornin' Mrs. Dequincy…" **A husky voice spoke softly against my lips… Seifer! As if that was not enough, he claimed my mouth again, this time parting my lips, and slipping his tongue inside to rub against mine, deepening the kiss. Awash in a sea of sensation, I closed my eyes and lost track of my surroundings… When he lifted his lips, I was out of breath and my body felt like it was on fire. (Hyne! How the man can kiss!) Slightly disoriented, I blinked at him, but he wasn't looking at me, his gaze was trained on the rapidly retreating back of the guy who had interrupted my reading. Coming to my senses, I realized that Seifer Almasy had just kissed me thoroughly in the middle of a hotel lobby in front of everyone! Feeling very upset, my lips were still throbbing from his onslaught on my senses, I shook off the hand he had placed on my shoulder and glared at him. Public area or not I was about to blast him, when he forestalled me by raising his hand and saying, **"Hey Irvine! Over here, man!"**_

_- - - - - - - - - - _

_Same Day – Centra Ruins _

_Given the kind of morning I had (Not to mention the kind of night), I was very glad to reach Odin's Tower without any further incidents. Anticipating from past experience that the stone floors could sometimes be very slippery and that it was cold inside and around the vicinity of the tower, I had pulled on a pair of jeans made with a heavier fabric and worn a pair of sturdy hiking boots. Instead of the halter top I had on yesterday, I wore a long sleeved t-shirt under a warm zipper jacket. _Save the Queen _was clinched securely in the holder provided by my utility belt. I noticed Irv had reverted to his usual hat and duster get-up, his gun _Exeter_ securely holstered to the side for faster drawing and rounds of extra ammo circling his waist and hips like a belt. Seifer had also worn his signature grey trenchcoat over a t-shirt and well-worn jeans, his wicked Gunblade _Hyperion_, securely holstered to the side. _

_As I'm writing this, we have set up camp on the platform before the various staircases that lead up the tower. From the reports provided by the CGC, this was the site of their agents' last transmission. As we looked around we saw no signs of struggle, no signs of torn clothing…in short, no visible signs of** anything.** The broken statue (I don't see how those people made it out into a horseman… It doesn't really look like anything!) in the center of the platform looked the same as the last time we were here. Even the few monsters we encountered were of the same kind we've fought before… However, I just couldn't shake the strange feeling that somehow we were being watched… I could see by the way Seifer and Irvine darted their eyes and scanned their surroundings that they too shared my strange sense of foreboding. And that was different from the last time we were here…_

_The first time we were here exploring the tower, all we felt was Odin's power. Even after we defeated him and** sort** of got him on our side (You **do not** summon Odin, **he** **chooses** to come to your aid), the tower just felt empty…not like the eerie feeling we have today… The most expedient way to explore the tower would've been to separate, with each of us taking a different route and convening here after a couple of hours, but somehow I was very reluctant to suggest it. (This _**is**_ standard SeeD procedure in a situation like this one) With a heavy sigh, I opened my mouth to propose just that when Seifer shot me a warning look that said without words, _Do-not-even-go-there! _ Frowning, since I knew that of the many things Seifer Almasy could be, he was definitely _**not**_ a coward…_

"_**I suggest we explore this fucking mausoleum together… Instructor."** The last word I knew Seifer only added as an afterthought. Irvine looked at me and when I nodded my agreement, he just walked to his rucksack and started to transfer provisions to a smaller backpack. I could see the practicality of what he was doing –a cumbersome backpack would definitely impede quick movement– and started to follow his example. Apparently, Seifer had already done his… since I could see the smaller provisions pack already on his back. Once I insured that our transmitters were in working order, and our PD's secured inside their cases in our utility belt, we started our exploration of the tower… _

_After much discussion, we decided systematically to work our way from east to west and proceed in a single file. Irvine would head our little procession and Seifer would bring up the rear…which left me stuck in the middle. I was not very happy about the arrangement, but their arguments left me with no choice. Irvine said his was the long range weapon, so by being first he could easily take care of any incoming attacks and help in case there was a rear attack. Seifer just stated categorically he wasn't going to be stuck in the middle so he was bringing up the rear. In any case, he argued when he saw my face, his weapon was most effective in close combat and if we were to be stuck in a tight place being in the middle would definitely render him ineffective! (Ineffective my foot! As if he would allow that to stop him from fighting!) I grudgingly admitted that he had a point. Irvine also had to add his two gils worth, **"You have better magic stats Quisty, so you can support us with attack spells."** Irvine was too polite to say that they were also physically much stronger than I was._

_From this point onwards, in order to conserve my PD's battery, I will not be able to write or even record my impressions as frequently as I would like, but I will keep the microphone on…_

…

… _static noise …_

…

"_Hey! Sniper-boy! Three Red Bats incoming at two o'clock!"_

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"_Shit! Almasy, like fuckin' excellent night-vision, man! How come you didn't go for like the sniper specialty?"_

"_Nah!... Like to feel the crunch of bones when I hit stuff with my Gunblade!"_

… _swoosh … swoosh …_

"_Seifer! can you not swing that thing around?"_

… _snicker… snicker …_

"_You too Irvine! Hyne! Sometimes I feel like I'm in grade school!"_

"_Fuck! Quistis! Watch-out! Forbidden! Coming at ya from the roof!" _

"_I see it!"_

_Crack! CraaACK!_

_Bang! Bang! BANG!_

"_Another Forbidden comin' at twelve o'clock!"_

"_I got it!"_

_sssSWOSH! SLASH!_

"_Bring 'em on!" …swoosh…swoosh… "That workout was fun! I kinda thought this would be another borin' mission!"_

"_Ditto to that, man!"_

… _sigh …_

"_It's getting pitch dark here… Hey! Platform in sight… Awww! Dead end!"_

"_Hey! Trepe! Over here! Check out this inscription."_

"_Huh? Move aside! Let me see!"_

"_What, Trepe? You were never taught any manners? How 'bout a _'please Seifer, and thank you very much Seifer?'_"_

"_SEIFER!"_

"_Yeah… Alright…Geez!"_

"_Irvine, could you point your flashlight over here too?"_

"_Err…Yeah… Here!"_

"_Well, Trepe, what does it say?"_

"_Seifer, can you wait? Here let me take a picture of it first…_

'Σλεεπερσ, χομε φορτη! Ρεστ νο μορε!'  
'Χομε φορτηωιτη! Ι συμμον ψου!'

…

"_I'm not sure if my translation is correct… but I think it says,_ Sleeping? _No... _Sleepers … Come out? Do…not rest? Come forward'…_Irvine can you point your light a bit closer to this symbol here… Thanks_ …I call? You…"

"_Trepe, that was fucking enlightening!"_

"_Oh! Shush it! …It seems to be almost like an incantation to wake up the _'sleepers'_? What does it mean by that? The inscription is really old! From the ideograms themselves, I think they go to the very beginning of the Centran Civilization!"_

"_So… Quisty, like, apart from the pretty pictures, is there…like somethin' useful in here for us?"_

…_Sigh… "No… At least, I don't think so… Let's head back to the landing and to the next set of stairs…"_

…

… _static noise …_

…

§ § §

To be continued…


	18. Overlapping The Components

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 17:** Overlapping The Components**

– _Balamb Garden, SeeD Quarters_–

Ahnyang stood under the warm spray of the shower, letting it soothe away her aches… _**'That bastard Almasy, I'm sure he enjoyed beating the crap out of me…'** _She acknowledged she was being just a sour loser… She almost had no bruises to speak of… What hurt the most was her pride, **_'Who would've guessed? He had me in weight and in strength, but I really thought I would be faster than him.' _**She had learned long ago that an opponent could outclass her in height, weight and strength, but if she had the speed and the skill, it more than compensated for the difference. **_'Except in this case…'_** Again and again he had evaded her counter attacks and had her pinned against the mat, or in a tight body lock. What annoyed her the most, was that she knew the man had exerted no real effort in defeating her! She didn't care if Almasy had trained under Zell Sensei ever since the bastard had learned to walk. The Shumi Elder had also been an excellent trainer **_–Sigh–_****_'Yeah… Hideyoshi, but not in combat skills…'_**

On the other hand, that guy Foehn had been almost too easy to defeat… He wasn't bad. Like Almasy he was stronger than she was, and with a better reach, but she had him in speed and evasion, not to mention skill. In the end, although he had managed to put up a pretty fair fight, she had easily pinned him down. She should've known better than to allow herself to feel smug over such an easy win. When she faced Almasy over the mat, those cold blue eyes had raked her over, probably pinpointing all of her weaknesses which he had ruthlessly exploited again and again. Then she watched him spar with Zell Sensei… It was an extremely enlightening experience. He was actually giving her Sensei a real workout… Although it didn't make up for her losing to him, at least it explained why she lost: She had been completely outclassed and outmatched.

Zell Sensei had surprised her when he had beckoned the two men to join them on a sparring match. When she first saw Almasy enter the gym, she had been momentarily distracted by his disturbing presence, **_'I will always be thankful for the training I received from the Revered Shumi Elder…'_** That training had allowed her to recuperate her concentration quickly, and avoid the full force of Zell Sensei's blow, **_'But I'm paying for it now, my shoulder feels like hell!'_** She moved her aching shoulder so that it was completely under the spray of soothing warm water… **_'At least now I'm used to the impact of his sheer physical presence, so different from the first time I had to be face to face with him…'_**

Of course, being friends with Sylvie and Meijin, she had often heard about the man's stunning looks. She had even seen some photo clips of him, and had agreed with her friends that he was very good-looking… But then, Syl and Mei had always been and still were boy crazy. In the end, nothing they said could've possibly prepared her for the physicality of the man himself, when she had first met him in that SeeD briefing room. She had been very thankful that immediately after both she and Mole had seated themselves, Almasy had started their meeting in an efficient no nonsense way. At least it had given her time to pull herself together… **_'Yeah…he's beautiful, so what ... Man's got the disposition of a Malboro!'_**

She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Commander Lionhart's son had been so easy to beat. – Stepping out of the shower, she began to towel herself dry – **_'You lose… you don't like, you win…you don't like… How's that for being contradictory, Hideyoshi?'_** Aw, shit! She knew it was getting close to that time of month, when she started getting snippy with herself. Wearing a lacy bra and a matching pair of panties, she stared critically at her reflection on the mirror, and stuck out her tongue at herself. It was an exceedingly childish gesture, but it somehow made her feel better. **_'I think I've been hanging around Syl and Mei too much…'_ **

The bouncy Sylvie Kinneas, the chatty Meijin Kumo, and the quiet Ahnyang Hideyoshi, they had made a very odd trio back in T-Garden. Eventually Meijin was transferred back to B-Garden and Sylvie left for a one year stint in E-Garden, but their friendship had continued. In fact, Ahnyang realized with a pang, **_'…They are my best friends …My only human friends.'_** She remembered when she first she met them, her mother Xu had just left after dropping her off at Commander's Tilmitt's office. After living all her life in the peaceful surroundings of the Shumi Village, she had felt rather dazed by all the noise and all the activity generated by T-Garden's busy population…

…

_Sharp green eyes had stared at her but not unkindly, "Don't worry Ahnyang, you'll get used to it in **no** time!" She then touched a panel on her desk and said, "Mrs. Sciarra could you please tell Sylvie I'd like to see her in my…"_

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

_Before the Commander could even say, _'enter'_ a cute face framed by glossy chestnut hair and dominated by large indigo eyes peeked through…_

"_Mom! Am I in trouble? ItwasnotmyfaultitwasXander's'causeheinsisted…"_

"_Whoa! Whoa! Take a deep breath Sylvie! Come-in and don't slam…"_

_SLAM!_

"…_the door."_

"_Oops! Sorry mom!"_

_Ahnyang, seated primly on a chair with her hands crossed over her lap could only stare at the mother–daughter tableau with very wide eyes… Her relationship with her own mother Xu had always been extremely formal. Cordial, yes, but always formal. _

"_Sylvie, this is Ahnyang Hideyoshi, Instructor Xu's daughter…"_

"_Wow! She has a daughter!"_

"_Ahem! As I was saying, it would be nice if you could show her around T-Garden so that she can…"_

"_Sure thing, mom! SeeD Cadet Sylvie Kinneas-Tilmitt reporting for duty, Commander!" She made a perfect SeeD salute._

_Selphie smiled at her daughter's antics, "Ahnyang will be taking her Weapon Admittance Test to Garden in a couple of weeks… In the meantime and until her status is determined she's to room with you and Meijin."_

"_Okay! I'm cool with that…"_

"_Ahnyang…"_

"_Yes, Commander, sir!"_

_A young fifteen year old Ahnyang had sprung up from her chair and saluted Selphie with an impeccable SeeD salute._

"_Ahem! …At ease. Please follow Sylvie. She'll take you to your quarters. I would like you to spend the rest of the day familiarizing yourself with the surroundings…Alright?_

"_Yes, sir!" Ahnyang heard Sylvie trying to suppress –unsuccessfully– a giggle._

"_Very well, just relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon, okay? … And Sylvie, don't get into more trouble!"_

_Once outside and on the way to their dorm, an inquisitive Sylvie didn't waste anytime on interrogating a rather bemused Ahnyang._

"_You're like, Assistant Headmistress Xu Hideyoshi's kid?"_

"_Yes..."_

"_Wow! Cool! I mean, like, we didn't know she had a kid!"_

"_Oh…"_

"_Sooo, like…What does your daddy look like? Is he cute like mine?"_

"_Daddy?"_

"_Y'know, like in dad, father…"_

"_Oh…I don't know."_

"_What? You're just kiddin'…Right?"_

_Ahnyang was fascinated by the way the girl spoke…it was so informal…so refreshing…_

"_No, I'm not… kidding?..."_

"_You mean, you don't know who's your dad?"_

"_No. Is it important?"_

"_Geez! Of course! ...Duh! Where've you been all this time?"_

"_Shumi Village."_

"_Wow! Wait until we tell Mei…"_

"_Tell me what, Squirt"_

"_Eeep! Meijin! Hyne, d'you have to do this all the time?" Sylvie whined and then in a hiss, "And don't call me Squirt!"_

_Ahnyang stared at the beautiful tall silver-haired girl, and then her eyes went to Sylvie who stood a full head shorter than her friend. She had heard the girl's approach a couple of minutes ago, but hadn't really said anything since she didn't think she had been a threat._

"_Hi! Name's Meijin!"_

"_Ahnyang."_

_To her utter surprise, Meijin enfolded her in an embrace and gave her a peck on the cheek._

"_Nice to meet ya!"_

_She heard Sylvie snickering, "Hah! Ever since Mei went on vacation to Dollet for **a week**, she decided to become their _'cultural'_ ambassador!"_

"_Hey! It works! I get to put my lips on that hottie Almasy and Xander and…"_

"_Almasy…yeah! But Xander…like, ewww!"_

_The door to their dorm slid open when Meijin press her palm on a rectangular panel nearby. All three entered into the common study area of their dorm. The space itself was nice and spacious but it was strewn with books, papers, pieces of jewellery, hats, shopping bags, shoes… just things. Lots of them… _

"_Hey! He's your brother,** not **mine!"_

"_Ahn… Hey! D'ya mind that I call ya Ahn?"_

_Ahnyang blinked at the shortened form of her name, "Err…no."_

"_Sheesh! …You're a real chatterbox, girlfriend!"_

"_Anyways, Ahn, your room's the last door to the right. I bet they've already configured your palm-print 'cause they made us move all our stuff out last week!"_

"_Ahh! You're our new roommate! How come you didn't tell me Syl? You're some friend!"_

"_Hey! You're the one who kept on blabbering 'bout stuff…"_

"_Welcome to the coolest dorm in T-Garden, Ahn! We had to do a lot of cleanin' last week…"_

"_Yeah, mostly clothes... we were kinda using your room as an extra closet space y'know?" _

…

Ahnyang smiled at her memories… That had been an understatement… When she saw their closets overflowing with garments of all sorts, colours, and fabrics she had been dumbfounded. How could anyone be in possession of so much stuff? Everything she owned had easily fit into her one case…

…

"_So… You, like, brought enough to tie ya over and the rest of your stuff is coming... When?"_

"_These are all my belongings."_

_Two pairs of eyes, one indigo the other the colour of aged brandy just stared at her wide open, "Huh?"_

"_She, like, lived in the Shumi Village before comin' here…" _

"_Oh! …I guess they're not really into shoppin'…"_

"_Well…"_

"_Hey! Just leave it to us! You're here with the shopping pro's."_

"_Yep! Rei –that's my little brother– says I can go through my allowance faster than he can skewer a grat!"_

"_Awww, Mei! You always make him like he's just a baby! Don't listen to **her**! Rei's her **twin** brother and he's an absolute hottie too!"_

"_My turn! Ewww!"_

"_Hey, I have all his stats: he's over six feet tall and he handles that wicked halberd Uncle Raijin gave him like an extension of his arm…"_

_Sylvie's face had acquired a dreamy cast, her indigo eyes darkened to a deep navy blue colour._

"_Geez! Snap out of it, Syl! We've got work here! We gotta take this girl under our wing! She's totally in need of our mentoring…"_

…

And taken her under their wing they did! She also learned quickly that underneath all that superficial talk about boys and shopping, Sylvie and Meijin were excellent SeeD Cadets. Sylvie's skill with her weapon of choice, the Nunchaku, had been astounding… And Meijin… Her proficiency with the weapon she called Tessen was nothing but short on the remarkable. Living with the Shumis, of course she had known of the Tessen, but to see one wielded with such deadly skill! She'd witness Meijin decapitate with the delicate looking fanlike weapon a Mesmerize as if it were nothing… There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Sylvie and Meijin would do extremely well on the gruelling SeeD Examination that Galbadia Garden had designed for the children of top level SeeD Officials. It hadn't occurred to her at the time that she herself would have to undergo the same gruelling examination, since Xu was also considered a top level official …

…

_Knock! Knock!_

"Hey, Ahn!"

It was Meijin's voice. Startled, Ahnyang realized she was still in her underwear. Suppressing a desire to swear profusely, she went and opened the door just enough to stick her head out.

"What?"

"Hey, girl! You're gonna let me in or what?"

"Enter."

"Expressive as usual, I see…"

Ahnyang opened the door a fraction, just enough to let the tall girl inside her room. Meijin Kumo at age fifteen had been eye-catching enough, now that she was almost nineteen she was one impressive young lady: Standing at 5'10'' the dark skinned, statuesque silver haired beauty always drew a lot of extra appreciative looks in her direction. Ahnyang stared up at her friend, and quirked a dark eyebrow, **_'I'm quite tall myself, but for some reason Mei always makes me feel short…'_** Of course, Meijin's fondness for high-heel boots contributed to that impression.

"Wow, Ahn! Nice lacy undies!"

"You bought a similar set. Why the surprise?"

She quickly pulled on pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. She had the afternoon free and she for one intended to spend it in the company of a good book. Something she hadn't been able to do for quite a while.

"Huh? I only have enough memory to remember stuff I bought last week…"

"Very funny…"

"So… I heard that you were thrown around a bit today by no other than our resident hottie! Tell your friend Mei everything."

Meijin threw herself down on Ahnyang's bed, and followed her friend's movements around the room with mischievous brandy coloured eyes.

"We had a sparring match. He won – I lost. End of story."

Ahnyang darted her friend a look and shrugged. It had also made her realize that she still had a long road to transverse before she could reach the point in which she could offer the bastard a decent fight.

"Awww! C'mon Ahn, don't be so boring… Give me some more detail here! Like, how did it feel to be held under that gorgeously muscled body?"

Ahnyang ignored her friend, and started to braid her long hair. She knew that Mei and Syl had perfected the art of whining before she had even known what that meant…

"Y'know, you'd get lots of dates if you were to wear your hair loose … What I mean is that you look kinda strict with your hair like that, and some people get scared… And, where did you get those jeans? I swear Ahn, you should spend more time taking care of your appearance… What will Gabe say? He might even refuse to throw you around…"

"Mei, you crack me up: Ha. Ha. Ha. Now, can we go have lunch before all the food is gone?"

"Geez! No sense of humour either... Let's go."

§ § §

– _Balamb Garden Parking Lot–_

Zell jumped easily into his wife's convertible glider car.

"Couldn't you use the door?"

He leaned in to give Zuleima a swift kiss on the lips before replying, "Nope, this way's faster." And quickly asked, "How was lunch with Rina, baby?"

Zuleima started the car and drove out of Garden before replying, "Oh, it was very pleasant. I convinced Susana to join us as well. The day being so beautiful, it would've been a pity for her to waste it cooped up in the library…"

"Where did you go?" He relaxed on his car seat, placed his head over his folded arms, and closed his eyes.

"We went to that nice place _Bistro La Gaffe_, remember?"

Zell made a face, he had taken Zuleima there because he knew she would like it, but the portions had been tiny…

"Yeah, I do."

Zuleima flashed her husband a knowing look which he didn't catch because his eyes were closed.

"**_We_** never went back again, but Rinoa and Susana found it very charming. As I do."

"Awww, Zul!" Zell opened his eyes, and stared at his wife's lovely face, "You know that Rina and Su are into all the fancy tablecloths and dainty dishes thing! But I'm a grown **_man_**. I need REAL food! Not cute little plates decorated with teeny baby sandwiches. I need MEAT, you know… I remember I almost ate the flowers there! I was so hungry! I need…"

"Zell."

"…Somethin' I can sink my teeth into…"

"Zell."

He hated it when she called him with that tone of voice. It meant she would be telling him something he would definitely **not** like to hear.

"Djinn has appeared."

"No fucking way!"

"Zell…"

"I know, baby, I know… I'm sorry but…"

"It's a warning signal we cannot afford to ignore. As you know, the first seal was broken almost twenty-two years ago…"

"Yeah… I know… When Quisty, Irv and Seif went into Centra and got Hephaestus…"

"You know what this means…"

"Yes." Was the grim reply.

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden, Cafeteria–_

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Look at what we've got here! Double jackpot!"

Foehn exclaimed as he watched Ahnyang and Meijin enter the cafeteria. He'd been after Gabriel all morning trying to get some more information on the new girl, but in typical Almasy fashion he had just brushed him off by saying, "Fuck! Get a grip man! There's nothing to tell! She's a surveillance expert!"

'**_Typical!'_** Foehn thought, Gabriel spent more than a week with the chick, and had nothing to show for it! Of course, what should Almasy care? He got them tripping his footsteps everywhere he went. Too easy…that was Gabriel's problem, **_'That I wish I had…'_** Foehn admitted ruefully. He never needed to exert any effort to get chicks, they just went to him and all he had to do was just scoop 'em up. **_'He doesn't know how it is out there…'_** People, whatever their orientation, had to work really hard to get dates… **_'Like take that sexy little blondie he was with recently… All he had to do was _look_ at her, and she was all over him… Like, how fair's that?'_** The only ugly incident he could remember Gabe having, was the one a year ago, with that bitch Trianna Von Linden. It wasn't like Gabriel was the first guy she'd ever screwed, but of course, she must've thought Gabe was like the trophy in her collection… She'd been two years older, and spectacularly pretty…

Foehn began to smile, Meijin had seen them and was dragging an obviously reluctant Ahnyang their way… Maybe he might get lucky with one of them… He elbowed Gabriel.

"Hey Man! They're headed his way!"

Gabriel just grunted, even as his eyes went to the pair. He stared at Meijin in masculine appreciation. As usual she was wearing quite a flamboyant outfit designed to give fits to the local population, that little skirt she had on looked more like a wide belt, and the shirt she wore over it left her entire midriff bare. She made Hideyoshi looked almost drab in comparison… Had it not been for that fitted t-shirt she wore which hugged every single curve of that willowy form. He narrowed his eyes, those jeans didn't help either, riding low on her hips they accentuated their natural curve. Looking beyond her, he noticed some people had their eyes trained on her ass, and _that_ irritated the hell out of him. He shouldn't care, but he did.

"Hey guys! Mind if we share your table?"

"Ladies! Say no more, please be seated!"

Ahnyang studied Foehn's open friendly expression, and found him to be harmless. On the other hand, Almasy's beautiful face which had warmed up as he smiled at Meijin wore a smirk when he greeted her.

"Hideyoshi, I trust you've recovered from your defeat…"

"You're good." She had the satisfaction of seeing those blue eyes widen, "But next time I won't be so easy to defeat." Having said that, she started to drink her soup. **_'There, bastard! See how you like that.'_**

"I look forward to the next time." His tone implied, **_'When I can toss you around some more…'_**

"C'mon Gabe you fling me around like a rag all the time! Give the girl a break! The only one apart from Uncle Zell who can give you some competition is Rei, and he's not here!"

Gabriel sat back and stared at Ahnyang pensively, he saw her eyes narrow in irritation at Foehn's comment. He definitely did not score any brownie points with _that_ remark. He watched her drink her soup, **_'As if anyone could score at all with this cold bitch…'_**

"Yeah, but Foehn it's not really hard to toss _you _around!" Meijin said that with a teasing tone in her voice.

"Don't you start on me too, Mei! Y'know that hand to hand combat is not my thing… although I might be persuaded…" Foehn finished flashing Ahnyang a suggestive look.

"Awww! Ahn, don't take this moron too seriously…" Meijin interrupted, while she slapped her hand playfully on the back of Foehn's head.

"Ouch! Watch where you put those hands, unless they're all over me!" Foehn leered teasingly in Meijin's direction.

"Foehnny! You're sooo bad!" Meijin did a mock pout which changed into a charming smile when she looked at Gabriel, "Hey Gabe! We run into your sister and Twy on our way in…"

"Yeah! She's a real cutie!… And little Twyla ain't too shabby…" Foehn put in.

"Stay away from Ella, you moron, or I'll dissect you with _Helios_!"

"Hey, Gabe! You know that I said it out of brotherly love…"

"Brotherly love my ass! You lecher! Just stay at least ten fucking paces away from my sister!"

Ahnyang stopped eating and just watched the interaction between Foehn and Almasy… It was truly fascinating. It had never occurred to her that the arrogant bastard could actually relax and joke around with his friends as he was doing now. Used to their fooling, Meijin continued.

"Anyways, Twy told me they're going into Balamb to baby-sit the meteor twins!" Meijin rolled her eyes, "It just boggles my mind, y'know? Twyla **_and_** those two little demons… I hope Balamb's still there… There's gonna be a huge sale at _Krazie&Posh_ that I don't wanna miss!"

"It's really Ella who's doing the babysitting." Gabriel shrugged broad shoulders. Instructor Aki had called their mother over at E-Garden to tell her about yesterday's little _incident_ during class. Ella told him that their father had been amused by it, but not so their mom. She had told Ella that since she had so much time in her hands, she had volunteered her to babysit those two little tornadoes.

"Aha! I thought so! I heard those two spent the entire morning in detention for playing a trick on poor Ty!"

"Huh? Two cuties played a trick on Ty? My little bro's one lucky dude!"

Now he had three people at the table shooting him a 'get-real' look, but it was Meijin who spoke up, "Are you for real? Those two sprinkled silence powder on the poor guy! The effect of the powder is not exactly pleasant nor is it difficult to tell… And when you have old Aki's eagle eyes…"

"Hey, Mei! You were there, right?"

"Huh? There …Where?" Meijin was used to Foehn's mercurial topic changes, but even she was confused by the 180 degree change in conversation.

Ahnyang, who did not know Foehn at all could only stare at him thinking, **_'This guy has major attention deficit disorder! Odd that Almasy's friends with such a person…'_** She looked at Gabriel only to find him regarding her with a mocking blue eyes.

"You know, like there! You **_were_** there!" Foehn replied as if everything he said made perfect sense.

"He wants to ask you about our Dollet mission, right Foehn?" Gabriel said exasperated.

"Awww, c'mon guys! Tell me about it! Is that Alessa chick as gorgeous in person as she is in pictures?"

"Is Gabriel?" Meijin asked raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

Gabriel just rolled up his eyes and said, "Whatever…"

"So she is." Foehn concluded while flashing Gabriel a smirky look.

"Yep!" Confirmed Mei happily and added, "She ditched her boyfriend… Hmmm, he was kinda cute, y'know… What was his name, Ahn?"

Ahnyang replied quietly, "Vicente Giambattista." **_'A stalker'_**

"Yeah, anyway she ditched this Vicente guy and was all over Gabe." Suddenly Meijin looked at Gabriel and said, "Hey! If you ever wanna be a duke…"

"Mei, you're giving me an indigestion…" Gabriel drawled out, then contradicted himself by taking a healthy bite of his huge hamburger. The cafeteria ladies were very fond of him, and they always made it extra special _just_ for him…

Ahnyang could only stare as Almasy polished off his second hamburger, '**_How does he manage to have such tightly packed muscles when he eats like this?'_** She should know how his body felt like, she had been pinned down enough by it this morning. The man was solid muscle, without an ounce of fat…**_ 'Hyne! Those hamburgers are huge!'_** She looked at Foehn's plate of sandwich and salad, **_'…At least his friend has a more balanced diet.'_**

"Ahn, stop looking at their food, I told ya a bowl of soup was not filling enough!"

Startled, Ahnyang looked up and blushed. A pinkish tone suffusing her delicate features, making Foehn sigh in deep masculine appreciation. Azure eyes watched the tableau while trying to suppress a deepening sense of annoyance.

"Well Ahn, if Lady Alessa really ditches this Vicente, then you could become a countess!"

"Huh?" This came from Foehn, "Mei, you lost me here…"

Ahnyang tried not to groan out loud, but she knew that once Meijin started there was no way to hold her back. She darted a look at Almasy and found those startling blue eyes of his staring at her in a calculating manner.

"Wow! It would be sooo cool! Gabe would be a duke and Ahn a countess!"

"Like how would she become one?" Asked a highly confused Foehn.

"Foehnny! Foehnny!" Mocked Meijin, "You were not there to see _Count _Vicente Giambattista chase our Ahn all over the place!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!" Replied the gossipy Meijin, "Ask Gabe. We were like in this real cool club, y'know? and I think at one point this Vicente guy got really touchy feely. Ahn couldn't do anything 'cause of the undercover, but Gabe could and did! He like grabbed this guy by the scruff of his neck and roughed him up a bit, y'know? Told him to stop molesting her." She turned to her friend who was scowling, "Right, Ahn?"

Ahnyang just got up and said, "No comment. I've got to go." She nodded at both Foehn and Gabriel, "See you."

Abruptly, Gabriel got up as well and said, "I'm leaving too." Then he looked at Ahnyang and said, "Can I have a word with you?" When he saw her nod her head imperceptibly he said, "Let's go."

They left the cafeteria together.

§ § §

– _Balamb City, Dr. Kadowaki's House –_

Eleanor hoped that Dr. Kadowaki would finish patching her up soon before Tyrrell was tempted to run poor Jalek over with _Griever_. For some reason, Ty was not being his usual self-contained self. It had started when Jalek had shown up with Samantha. Ty looked deceivingly calm, but underneath the surface she could sense a tightly controlled temper, just waiting to erupt…

When they arrived, Tyrrell had gone up the door to insure that Dr. Kadowaki was home. As luck had it, she was in and very surprised to see them. Inside the car, Eleanor had tried to get out by herself, but before she could do or say anything Jalek had whisked her up in his arms and carried her to the front door! She'd shuddered at the look in Tyrrell's eyes when his gaze had come to rest on Jalek. She was so glad that Dr. Kadowaki had quickly taken over the situation. The doctor had Jalek carry her to an infirmary-like room located to the right of the front door and deposit her on a coach. Immediately after she had shooed everyone out.

Eleanor could see the three of them standing outside in the narrow hallway. She looked over to where Samantha was standing close to Ty, with a hand latched onto one of his arms. He was leaning with his back against the wall and his arms crossed watching Dr. Kadowaki work on her, completely ignoring Samantha's grip on his arm. Jalek was slouched on a chair with a smug look on his face which would turn into a scowl every time he looked Tyrrell's way. From time to time she could see Samantha lean up and say something to Ty, but he would show no reaction. With a sudden twinge of emotion, Eleanor noticed that the two made quite a good-looking couple.

She couldn't understand the source of his tension. According to Twyla, Samantha had been after Tyrrell for weeks, and just this last week she had stepped up her campaign so that even someone as oblivious as herself had been able to noticed! Was Ty upset because Samantha had shown up with Jalek as her escort? **_'He must really like her… In all the time I've known him, he has never shown this much emotion over any of his other girlfr…'_**

"How are you feeling now, young lady?"

Instead of her usual flow of small talk about being careless, imitating her father's and Gabriel's footsteps, etc. Eleanor realized that Dr. Kadowaki was actually addressing her directly. She flexed her left shoulder gingerly and noticed that her left ankle was heavily bandaged…

"Ouch! I feel like I've been run over by a T-Rexaur!"

"From what young Leonhart has told me, that's exactly what happened! Why can't you youngsters be more careful?" She didn't wait for Eleanor's response but continued, "You've definitely sprained your left ankle, but the lacerations and gashes you've got are quite minor. You will also have a very nice bruise on your left hip by tomorrow." The good doctor patted Eleanor's head fondly, after all she had delivered her into the world. "Alright, just wait here a moment while I call Tyrrell."

Eleanor saw the doctor leave the room and go over to Ty. She saw him nod at something Kadowaki said. After that, he came striding into the infirmary room. Slate-blue eyes scanned her from head to toes before asking.

"You okay?"

She struggled to get up, only to have Tyrrell help her, "Yeah… Apart from the sprained ankle, all my injuries are pretty minor."

"Then, can we get out of here?" This was said by Samantha who had walked in to join them. She stared with hostility at the arm that Tyrrell had draped protectively over Eleanor's shoulder.

Eleanor noticed the look and said to Ty, "It's okay, I'm fine." She tried to shake off his arm, but it remained stubbornly where it was.

"So Eleanor, you're alright?" Jalek had walked in, flashed Leonhart a defiant look and asked the question.

"Yeah, thanks!" She smiled at him thinking that it had been very nice of Jalek to drive them here, "I'm really grateful that you gave us a lift…" She felt Tyrrell tightened his hold on her shoulder, and darted him an inquiry look.

"We're _both_ grateful, but don't let us keep you here… Kenobi, Samantha." Tyrrell's tone implied, **_'Don't you two have better things to do?_**' Having dismissed them, for the second time in a day he scooped Eleanor up.

"Hyne, Ty! I'm not an invalid! Can't I just walk for a freaking change?" Eleanor protested as she squirmed in his arms.

"Shut-up." Tyrrell tightened his arms to stop her squirming, and carried her to Dr. Kadowaki's sitting room before adding, "You're not no walk. Doctor's orders." An annoyed Eleanor crossed her arms, and gave him a mulish look. Normally, she was a pretty temperate person, but once she got mad it made people realize that she **_was _**Seifer Almasy's daughter… If Tyrrell noticed the signs, he just ignored them. He was gently setting her down on a settee by a large window when Dr. Kadowaki reappeared with a grinning face.

"Well youngsters, everything's fine… Huh? I see your two friends left." She remarked casually.

"Aaah… Yeah, they left. Th-they asked me to thank you." Eleanor said, but the look she shot Tyrrell was an _It's-all-your-fault!_ kind of look. A very huffy Samantha had dragged an extremely reluctant Jalek out of the house without a backward glance after hearing Tyrrell dismiss them. Eleanor had winced when she'd heard the front door slam, but was glad that Dr. Kadowaki had decided not to pursue the matter, and ask embarrassing questions.

"I just got off-screen with Hazel Dincht! She's coming over with Twyla and those two little tornadoes she calls granddaughters! Oh, and I've also contacted Gabriel. He wanted to come and get you immediately but I told him not to worry, that you were okay, just a sprained ankle. I also told your brother that I don't want that ankle to be moved today so you will stay here as my guest overnight, young lady."

"Err…Thank you Dr. Kadowaki, but what about Uncle Squall and Aunty Rina, shouldn't they be notified…?" Eleanor felt truly miserable for causing so much trouble, first between Samantha and Ty, and now for everyone else.

"Not to worry, Gabriel said he would take care of everything. He'll be coming tomorrow morning to take you back to Garden." Dr. Kadowaki informed Eleanor, then she turned to Tyrrell and told him in a no-nonsense voice, "As for you young man, now that this missy is settled I want to have a look a you."

Tyrrell recognized the tone of voice, it was the same one his mother used when she wanted him to do something she knew he would not like. Resigned he allowed the doctor to poke at him.

§ § §

To be continued…


	19. Unbroken

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 18: **Unbroken**

–_Trabia Garden, Faculty Meeting Room_–

Irvine Kinneas had always thought that the Faculty Meeting Room at T-Garden was designed in such way that the people assembled there would only be thinking about conducting the business at hand, just so that they could get the hell out as soon as possible. It was a spare-looking strictly functional room, bare of any adornment and windowless. Today, being an important meeting with the heads of all the teaching divisions in Garden, all the seats in the room were occupied.

Ten people were assembled around the circular table with a projection holo-screen in the centre, each person had their own screen panel embedded on the table's surface with the stats of possible SeeD candidates being displayed one at a time.

"Priya, how many of your kids will be ready for the Field Exam simulation?"

"Eight, maybe three or four more, _if _we're lucky!"

Instructor Priya Dephta who headed the Intelligence Arts Department, was formerly known as _Diamond_ –a member of Balamb Garden's infamous Card Club. She was the first SeeD to ever specialize in the field of Reconnaissance and Surveillance. Ahnyang Hideyoshi had been her best student to date, but this year's crop was not very promising.

"How about you, Aiello?"

SeeD Aiello Pitunkwo, Trabia's Garden Nunchaku Master, said quite cheerfully, "Oh! From my group there will be at least seventeen to twenty Cadets ready for their FE simulation!"

"My! That many?"

This was said by Tahera Ganryu, the last remaining Tessenjutsu and Throwing Arts Master in the world. She was also one of the few non-SeeD instructors in T-Garden's roster. Both Meijin Kumo and Ahnyang Hideyoshi had been former students of hers, and although she was quite fond of Ahn, Mei had been undoubtedly her best student. Of course, she had expected no less. After all, Meijin's mother was Tahera's niece!

"I'll count myself lucky if I can have three Cadets ready!" She announced.

"But how can this be? Your classes are always full of people at the beginning!"

The voice belonged to SeeD Neil Taylor, T-Garden's new Head of the Handgun and Rifle Department.

"Instructor Taylor, you know as well as anyone can," Tahera's well modulated tone implied she believed Taylor to have minimal cognition abilities, "that mainly girls are the ones taking the first classes, thinking that they'll become SeeD wielding pretty fans. _When_ they find out how exacting the training is, to even gain the _ability_ to hold the Tessen properly… Well, I've already lost at least seventy percent of my class." Tahera continued in her cultured voice which grated on Neil's nerve, "And then to _count_ the ones that can actually make it to the FE simulation with the Tessen Specialty …I only need to use one hand to count them."

Mistress Ganryu held out a perfectly manicured hand to make her point.

"Ahem! …Thank you Tahera, I'm sure your Cadets will be more than ready for the test." Irvine intervened smoothly, pouring oil over troubled waters. Everyone knew that Tahera and Neil disliked each other cordially. Neil thought that Tahera was just a pampered rich socialite, while Tahera found Neil to be extremely uncouth. "How 'bout you, Neil? How many can we count with?"

"This year under my humble stewardship we will have at least thirty Cadets ready for the FE simulations!" Neil announced proudly, glancing meaningfully in Tahera's direction.

"Good! How 'bout your people, Lank?" Irvine turned his indigo gaze to Tri-Garden's absent minded System Administrator and head of the Technical Studies unit. Ignoring the barely suppressed giggles of some of the faculty members, he raised his voice an octave higher, "Lank!"

"Oh! Oh! I was just thinking that Mole was able to crack into our network so it needs more work… Err…What was your question, Irvine?"

"How many of your kids will be ready for the FE simulation which **_you_** and Port helped to design?"

"Oh! That! I think that around fifteen of them will be ready."

"You can count with ten Cadets from the Shotgun division, Irvine." SeeD Omar Roshd stated in his precise voice.

Omar was Zuleima Alkhash-ka's cousin, and had been part of her small delegation when it was decided by the Matriarch that Zuleima was to follow Zell Dincht to the surface and act as ambassador to the surface of the Kashkabald people. In the beginning, he had only intended to escort Zuleima to her destination, and promptly return to the City of Baal with the rest of the delegation; but, like Zuleima, he had fallen prey to the beauty of green spaces, the vastness of the blue sky above and mountains. The snow shod mountains of Trabia fascinated Omar, the sight of those mountains had lured him to stay on the surface.

Being family and the only other member of the Kashkabald people dwelling outside Baal, Omar kept in very close contact with Zuleima. In fact, he was Eleazar's Dincht's Scimitar Master. He knew that the other faculty members often wondered why instead of teaching the use of the shotgun, he didn't teach swordsmanship. Since he knew that too many explanations would only lead to more questions, he refrained from saying anything. In any case it was not information he could share. As it was, his skill with the shotgun was only rivalled by Kinneas, so very few people questioned his position in the faculty.

"Great!" Irvine grinned at Omar then turned his attention to a petite brunette who was in the process of primping her hairdo, "How 'bout your people, Jackie?"

"Oh! They're fine!" At Irvine's amused glance she added, "I think we can add some twenty cadets or so to the roster…"

Jackie Reichenbach was the head of the Paranormal Studies teaching unit, like Selphie she gave the impression of being a bit of an airhead …but no one who had faced her in battle would ever think so again, Irvine thought. Jackie and Selphie went a long way back, they had been SeeD Cadets together, and like Lank and Port, Jackie had survived Galbaldia's missile attack on T-Garden.

"Not bad, people! We have 'round a hundred Cadets undergoin' the simulation. A pretty good number goin' in, given the failure rate of 85 to 90 percent. We should be able to send at least a dozen of our kids to B-Garden for the real SeeD Field Exam! Please finalize your lists by the end of this week and shoot the results to Jorge."

SeeD Jorge Vasconcelos had been Irvine's assistant for over five years now. He was an extremely detail–oriented man, a trait which drove some members of the faculty crazy, but he was extremely efficient in his job.

"I would like to remind members of this faculty that regulations require such SeeD Cadets to have achieved an adequate standing on the regular Arts and Science programme _before_ they can do the FE simulation. I shall be cross listing your submissions with those provided by SeeD Douglass and Instructor Gardner." Vasconcelos nodded politely in their direction.

Harriet Douglass was the head of the Arts division and Amelia Gardner, the other non-Seed faculty member, of the Sciences. Their units taught the regular curricula comparable to that of any regular educational institution. More than fifteen years ago it became statutory in all Gardens that SeeD Cadets had to pass the normal curriculum before they could proceed any further in Garden. The rationale had been that SeeD Cadets who never made it into the rank of SeeD, would at least have the necessary academic preparation to re-direct their interests towards other careers available. Although in truth, most of those who failed to enter SeeD, usually got absorbed either by the military, the police force or become part of some VIP's entourage.

"You shall have my results by the end of day, Jorge." Amelia gave him a flirtatious wink.

Blushing a dull red, Jorge cleared his throat and said, "Ahem! Thank you Instructor Gardner."

§ § §

– _Grand Ballroom, Esthar Presidential Palace –_

His Excellency the Duke of Dollet spotted the entrance of Seifer and Quistis into the crowded ballroom immediately. He eyed Quistis appreciatively, **_'That blue witch is as beautiful as ever, hard to believe she has a fully grown son...'_** He also noticed Almasy's possessive hand resting on the small of his wife's shapely back and snorted, **_'and that young jackanapes is as territorial…'_** Long time ago he'd thought Quistis Trepe would've made him an excellent daughter-in-law, but it was not to be. He'd realized that fact the moment he had seen those two together. In spite of their obvious chemistry, that young beauty had been in denial and Almasy had been like a dog in the manger. He didn't want to partake but wouldn't allow anyone else to do so either. The 'No Trespassing' sign Almasy had hung on a young unsuspecting Quistis had been visible for miles! His Excellency harrumphed as he saw Seifer glare at Loire's Press Secretary, **_'Had I been younger I would've given that young rogue a run for his money!'_** At least they had produced a fine-looking son …Ah, yes! …Gabriel Almasy was full of potential!

§

Quistis always found these formal receptions to be stifling, but she would go to her grave before admitting as much to Seifer. It was already difficult to make him attend as it was, if she were to encourage that attitude… She felt his hand slip from the small of her back to splay its fingers possessively around her hips. Frowning, she looked up at her husband only to find him glaring at Frederic Jenssen. Quistis sighed, **_'I should've never agreed to go on that date with poor Fred…'_** That one _harmless **platonic **_date from such a long time ago had forever marked Jenssen as 'rival' in Seifer's bellicose mind. **_'He should know better than_ anyone_ that nothing happened between Fred and me!' _**As usual in this situation, she ignored her husband's proprietorial manner and smiled at Jenssen.

"Hello, Fred! It's good to see you!"

She proffered her hand to shake his, but Frederic took it and gallantly inclining his head, kissed the top of her gloved hand.

"Quistis, it's always a pleasure!" He said enthusiastically, then more stiffly, "Almasy."

Quistis silently sighed again as she quickly withdrew her hand. It was always the same routine, Fred did it because he knew it would annoyed Seifer, and of course it did. For a tense moment Quistis thought that Seifer would act rudely and ignore Fred's monosyllabic acknowledgement, but to her relief she just felt him tighten his grip on her hips even as he nodded his head curtly. Fred's date, a sultry brunette was not so reticent as her escort.

"Wow! You're _The_ Seifer Almasy?" She gushed coquettishly as she slowly looked him up and down, "I heard a _lot_ about _you_!" And her voice implied, **_'And I would like to get to know you much, much better…' _**blatantly ignoring Quistis's and Fred's presence. However all her efforts were pointless because Seifer was scanning the room for Laguna's familiar figure.

"Yeah, good to see you too… Look, we've gotta go, I see the President is waving his hand in our direction…" Seifer said distractedly. Completely ignoring the brunette's obvious invitation, he propelled a secretly amused Quistis to where he had seen Laguna standing.

"She was coming on to you." She remarked teasingly to her husband as they made their way through the crowd, "Do I need to retrieve my whip?"

"What, jealous?" Seifer quirked a blond eyebrow, his wicked sea green eyes looking her over lasciviously. Bending his head so he could whisper in her ear, he said, "If you cared to step into a more secluded spot Mrs. Almasy, I'll prove to you conclusively who's the only woman in the room that can make me horny as hell…" He licked her earlobe.

"Seifer! We're in the middle of a crowded ballroom!"

"Humph! Indiscreet as ever, I see!"

"Your Excellency!" Quistis exclaimed blushing.

"My dear, much charmed." The Duke of Dollet with all the authority granted to him by status and by age, seized both of Quistis's hands and kissed them with great gusto. Straightening, he looked Almasy over and remarked, "I see this young witch finally got you out of wearing that ugly SeeD uniform!"

"Nice to meet you too, your _Excellency_!" Seifer rejoined sarcastically. He grunted when he felt Quistis's sharp elbow on his gut. He didn't care how elderly the old-fart happened to be, he didn't like to see **_anyone_** kissing _**his****wife**_ anywhere. Just a moment ago he'd been sorely tempted to sever that jackass Jenssen's lips from his face…

The Duke suppressed a smile, it was always fun to exchange words with Almasy. He was one of the few people who didn't toady up to him or fear him, even as a very young man.

"Met that son of yours a couple of weeks ago. Good-looking fellow, had all the young maids in palace staff fighting to attend him!" He declined to mention that his granddaughter had stuck to the young man like glue, completely dismissing the presence of that useless suitor of hers. He'd surmised that they'd probably heard it from other people already.

"Lord Dolletia! How are you enjoying our little party, your Excellency? …Commander. …Mrs. Almasy…"

The Duke stiffened slightly when he heard Dale Uhquart's incredibly unctuous voice, but inclined his head regally in acknowledgement of the couple before him. If he was annoyed at the sudden interruption, it didn't show. **_'Something that young jackanapes should learn!'_ ** He decided in amusement when he saw Almasy narrow his eyes in irritation at Dale's not so subtle ogling of Quistis.

"Yes, a rather nice gathering …Mrs. Uhquart." He nodded at the pale stick of a woman who had curtseyed in his direction.

"It is an honour to meet you finally, your Excellency!" She gushed.

"Likewise, I'm sure."

"If we may be so bold, Your Excellency, both Mrs. Uhquart and myself would like to offer our humble services if you should ever desire to take an extra-official tour of our fair city!" Dale added in oily tones, "This being such an historic occasion! Finally Dollet and Esthar are reunited!" He made it sound like he was the one responsible for making such an important occasion happen.

"I'm very grateful for your generous offer, Dale, but I'm afraid that I've promised the Commander's beautiful wife that I would go on a tour of Esthar Garden." The Duke said smoothly.

As if on cue, Quistis smiled and said, "Yes, it shall be my pleasure to show His Excellency around our facilities."

"Well, some other time then, Your Excellency. We are at your disposal."

"Thank you Uhquart, Mrs. Uhquart, if you will excuse us."

The Duke gallantly offered his arm to Quistis, who accepted it gracefully and followed by a grumbling Seifer, the trio went to where Laguna was standing.

The son of a very prominent Estharian industrialist who opposed Loire's social policies, Dale Uhquart had tried to oust Laguna from the presidency several times, but failed miserably each turn. He never wasted any time in trying to ingratiate himself with those in power. Even though he had opposed the construction of Esthar Garden alongside his father, once it was a done deal, he had tried to court E-Garden's favour. After all, Garden was an extremely powerful military organization and one never knew when they might become a handy tool. Of course, a huge obstacle to his goals was one Seifer Almasy.

Dale regarded Esthar Garden's Commander retreating back with a thinly veiled hostility tinged with a large dollop of envy. He knew Almasy did not trust him, but it wasn't right that such an upstart should wield such power _and _ be graced with such an incredibly gorgeous wife. In Dale's own little fantasy world, he saw visions of a scantily clad Quistis submitting to his demands again and again. He sighed as he looked at his wife Elizabeth, she was attractive enough and her pedigree was impeccable, but she was a frigid bitch. It never occurred to him that he could be the one at fault for that.

§ § §

–_Trabia Garden Sub-Level Computer Labs, Access Restricted–_

From: chicobogirlie(at)tgarden(dot)org  
To: silverchick(at)bgarden(dot)org  
Subject: S'up?  
Date: 5 May 23- 023AU –13:12:33

Anything juicy happening over there? I've been trying to get Mole to crack into the Racing Dome server for me but you might have to get Ahn to give him a call and see if that will make him do things faster! They've gotta have important stuff to protect if I can't hack into it! The jerks! I wanted to have the Tri-Garden Festival in there but they are way too expensive, so you know that got me kinda wondering… I mean, they advertise 'bout hosting events, you'd think they'd jump to get a HUGE event like ours! I betcha they've got stuff to hide if they don't want Garden in there!

Lol, Write back, ok?

––

From: silverchick(at)bgarden(dot)org  
To: chicobogirlie(at)tgarden(dot)org  
Subject: RE: S'up?  
Date: 5 May 23- 023AU –15:01:53

Hey Syl! You won't believe this! Gabe and Ahn left the cafeteria TOGETHER! WOW! What can it mean!

And no, I haven't been able to take any good images of Gabe. Ever since he got that package from his mom maybe like a month ago, all I get are fuzzy images! TOOOO bad, 'cause our man has a nice tan from sunny Dollet and looks hotter than ever! Like major DROOL factor girl! How 'bout some from Foehn? I even got him to pose for me!

Too bad about good old Mole! I'll mention it to Ahn when I see her. If I see her today…you know what I mean? ;))

:Anything juicy happening over there? I've been trying to get  
:Mole to crack into the Racing Dome server for me but you might  
:have to get Ahn to give him a call and see if that will make him  
:do things faster! They've gotta have important stuff to protect  
:if I can't hack into it! The jerks! I wanted to have the Tri-Garden  
:Festival in there but they are way too expensive, so you know that  
:got me kinda wondering… I mean, the advertise 'bout hosting  
:event, you'd think they jump to get a HUGE event like ours! I betcha :they've got stuff to hide if they don't Garden in there!  
:  
:Lol, Write back, ok?

––––

From: chicobogirlie(at)tgarden(dot)org  
To: silverchick(at)bgarden(dot)org  
Subject: RE: RE: S'up?  
Date: 5 May 23- 023AU –15:46:08

WHOA! NOOO WAAAY! KEEP ME POSTED AT –ALL– TIMES! How did Ahn get to be sooo lucky? Not that I'm complaining, my Rei keeps me busy… And sure! Shoot 'em over, Foehnny's not nearly as popular as Gabe but he's alright! Too bad 'bout Gabe, I think he got himself scrambler… You know that device some famous people have that makes it impossible for the paparazzi or anyone to take a clear picture of 'em…

:Hey Syl! You won't believe this! Gabe and Ahn left the  
:cafeteria TOGETHER! WOW! What can it mean!  
:And no, I haven't been able to take any good images of Gabe.  
:Ever since he got that package from his mom maybe like a month  
:ago, all I get are fuzzy images! TOOOO bad, 'cause our man has  
:a nice tan from sunny Dollet and looks hotter than ever! Like   
:major DROOL factor girl! How 'bout some from Foehn? I even  
:got him to pose for me!  
:  
:Too bad about good old Mole! I'll mention it to Ahn when I see her.  
:If I see her today…you know what I mean? ;))  
:  
:Anything juicy happening over there? I've been trying to get  
:Mole to crack into the Racing Dome server for me but you might  
:have to get Ahn to give him a call and see if that will make him  
:do things faster! They've gotta have important stuff to protect  
:if I can't hack into it! The jerks! I wanted to have the Tri-Garden  
:Festival in there but they are way too expensive, so you know that  
:got me kinda wondering… I mean, the advertise 'bout hosting  
:event, you'd think they jump to get a HUGE event like ours! I betcha  
:they've got stuff to hide if they don't Garden in there!

:Lol, Write back, ok?

–––

From: silverchick(at)bgarden(dot)org  
To: chicobogirlie(at)tgarden(dot)org  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: S'up?  
Date: 5 May 23- 023AU –15:54:22

What d'ya think of Foehnny's images? I think they're pretty good… we should update some of Xander's too 'cause the page's called FaB4, duh! Specially now that we can't get any good ones of Gabe. I mean he's the anchor and all but I think your bro's pretty hot too!

I haven't seen Ahn or Gabe anywhere! And believe you me sister, I've looked!

:WHOA! NOOO WAAAY! KEEP ME POSTED AT –ALL– TIMES!  
:How did Ahn get to be sooo lucky? Not that I'm complaining, my Rei  
:keeps me busy… And sure! Shoot 'em over, Foehnny's not nearly as  
:popular as Gabe but he's alright! Too bad 'bout Gabe, I think he got  
:himself scrambler… You know that device some famous people have  
:that makes it impossible for the paparazzi or anyone to take a clear picture  
:of 'em…

:Hey Syl! You won't believe this! Gabe and Ahn left the  
:cafeteria TOGETHER! WOW! What can it mean!  
:And no, I haven't been able to take any good images of Gabe.  
:Ever since he got that package from his mom maybe like a month  
:ago, all I get are fuzzy images! TOOOO bad, 'cause our man has  
:a nice tan from sunny Dollet and looks hotter than ever! Like   
:major DROOL factor girl! How 'bout some from Foehn? I even  
:got him to pose for me!

:Too bad about good old Mole! I'll mention it to Ahn when I see her.  
:If I see her today…you know what I mean? ;))  
:Anything juicy happening over there? I've been trying to get  
:Mole to crack into the Racing Dome server for me but you might  
:have to get Ahn to give him a call and see if that will make him  
:do things faster! They've gotta have important stuff to protect  
:if I can't hack into it! The jerks! I wanted to have the Tri-Garden  
:Festival in there but they are way too expensive, so you know that  
:got me kinda wondering… I mean, the advertise 'bout hosting  
:event, you'd think they jump to get a HUGE event like ours! I betcha  
:they've got stuff to hide if they don't Garden in there!

:Lol, Write back, ok?

–––

From: chicobogirlie(at)tgarden(dot)org  
To: silverchick(at)bgarden(dot)org  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: S'up?  
Date: 5 May 23- 023AU –16:21:39

'K, but if we're gonna include more pics of Xander, we're also gonna update Rei's! Too bad you couldn't scout anything, but KEEP ME POSTED!

Gotta go! Mole's finally free so I've gotta pester him to hack into the Dome for me. Too bad screen time is sooo expensive even from Garden to Garden, maybe I'll try your communicator later, but I'll have to get out of the computer lab to call ya, READY your comm for tonight, ok?

Syl

ps. I know there's a sale at _Krazie&Posh_, if you see anything cool for me just grab it! Will pay ya back when I see ya!

:What d'ya think of Foehnny's images? I think they're pretty  
:good… we should update some of Xander's too 'cause the page's  
:called FaB4, duh! Specially now that we can't get any good ones  
:of Gabe. I mean he's the anchor and all but I think your bro's   
:pretty hot too!

:I haven't seen Ahn or Gabe anywhere! And believe you me  
:sister, I've looked!

:WHOA! NOOO WAAAY! KEEP ME POSTED AT –ALL– TIMES!  
:How did Ahn get to be sooo lucky? Not that I'm complaining, my Rei  
:keeps me busy… And sure! Shoot 'em over, Foehnny's not nearly as  
:popular as Gabe but he's alright! Too bad 'bout Gabe, I think he got  
:himself scrambler… You know that device some famous people have  
:that makes it impossible for the paparazzi or anyone to take a clear picture  
:of 'em…

:Hey Syl! You won't believe this! Gabe and Ahn left the  
:cafeteria TOGETHER! WOW! What can it mean!  
:And no, I haven't been able to take any good images of Gabe.  
:Ever since he got that package from his mom maybe like a month  
:ago, all I get are fuzzy images! TOOOO bad, 'cause our man has  
:a nice tan from sunny Dollet and looks hotter than ever! Like   
:major DROOL factor girl! How 'bout some from Foehn? I even  
:got him to pose for me!

:Too bad about good old Mole! I'll mention it to Ahn when I see her.  
:If I see her today…you know what I mean? ;))

:Anything juicy happening over there? I've been trying to get  
:Mole to crack into the Racing Dome server for me but you might  
:have to get Ahn to give him a call and see if that will make him  
:do things faster! They've gotta have important stuff to protect  
:if I can't hack into it! The jerks! I wanted to have the Tri-Garden  
:Festival in there but they are way too expensive, so you know that  
:got me kinda wondering… I mean, the advertise 'bout hosting  
:event, you'd think they jump to get a HUGE event like ours! I betcha  
:they've got stuff to hide if they don't Garden in there!

:Lol, Write back, ok?

§ § §

– _Trabia Garden, Faculty Meeting Room_–

"…I think that's all for today. If there aren't any further questions we'll adjourn this meeting."

It was already late afternoon, so people started to get up and quickly file out of the stifling room. Some stopping to confirm or to arrange meetings with others. Within the noisy chaos that usually follows the end of a well attended meeting, Irvine heard Tahera call out his name.

"Irvine, darling, might I have a word with you!"

"Oh, sure thing Tahera, but make it short 'cause y'know the missus…"

They were the last ones to leave the room. Unerringly gallant, Irvine tipped his hat and held the door open for Tahera to go through first. As she went out, Tahera looked at the sharpshooter in deep appreciation. He was certainly a very attractive man, tall with lovely indigo eyes and long auburn hair swept into a ponytail… Had she not been at least twice his age, she would've given Commander Tilmitt a bit of competition! She sighed, perhaps in another lifetime… In this one, Irvine Kinneas was a family man, completely devoted to his perky little wife and to his children.

"Irvine, I would like you to seriously consider my grand-niece Meijin as a possible substitute for me…"

"Why, Tahera, you're not planning to retire on me are you darlin'? I'd be devastated!"

Because he knew it would draw a chuckle out of the grand old lady, Irvine put his hand on his forehead in a highly melodramatic gesture… As he expected, Tahera laughed at his antics. She went to his side and placed a flirtatious hand on his pretty chest.

"Oh, darling! I know you'll miss me, but we can't continue like this…"

"Tahera Ganryu! You get your hands off my man!"

"Commander Tilmitt! You wouldn't deny this old lady a few pleasures…"

"Old lady my ass!"

"Hey, babe!"

Selphie winked at Tahera before going on her tiptoes to give her husband a resounding smack on his lips, then she went to Tahera and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"So, why are ya tryin' to steal my man?"

Tahera stared at Selphie fondly, musing about how petite women seemed to have a thing for tall rangy men. Her niece Fujin and that hulking husband of hers were a case in point. **_'But I guess I can't blame them'_** as her eyes caressed Irvine's tall figure again, **_'This one's quite a hunk…'_**

"Tahera! Stop ogling my husband!" Selphie contradicted the harshness of her words by suppressing a giggle.

"Darling, he's so hunky its rather hard to resist!" Tahera replied as she continued to unashamedly ogle T-Garden's pretty Headmaster.

Selphie liked Tahera, apart from being a great Tessenjutsu master, she was lots of fun. Just as well she was old enough to be their granny or she'd be jealous as hell, by the looks of her now, Tahera must've been quite a stunning beauty in her younger days. She looked at Irvine as he flirted with Tahera, he was a bit brawnier than when she'd first met him, but not much more. Who would've thought that she would end up sharing her life with her childhood friend? She smirked at she observed that sharpshooter's smooth way with women, **_'Young or old alike, he doesn't miss a beat does he?'_**

"Ladies!" Irvine said, putting an arm on Selphie's and Tahera's shoulders, "Shall we go to nicer surroundings than the ugly halls of T-Garden?"

§ § §

To be continued…


	20. Halls of Disorder

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 19:** Halls of Disorder**

_No equation  
To explain the division of the senses  
No sound  
To reflect the radiance of time  
In the beginningest dream  
Halls of disorder  
Where we are swept to encircle dawn  
Strapped in a little car  
Racing through silence  
Trumpeting bliss  
You can kiss the world goodbye_

–Patti Smith–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_31.05.01 AU_

_Yesterday, by the time we finished exploring two more stairwells –All leading to a dead end– Irv and Seifer had more than passed the Attack component of the Field Exam. (**If** this were to be a normal FE, but we all know that it isn't…) The last stairway explored was the worst. As we ascended the stairs, some Blobras oozed their way slowly down towards us. We all knew that physical attacks against such monsters would do very little damage as their gelatinous bodies could easily absorb the impact, so I scanned one to see what elemental would be the most effective. To my great consternation, the spell failed! I told Irv to cast thunder spells while Seifer did fire (for some reason his fire attacks are always very strong), I myself would be casting blizzard. I wanted to see which one would be the most effective, but to our dismay all three caused very little damage to almost no damage. Perplexed, I was going to try an earth based spell, when Seifer –who had run out of patience– just rushed one of the monsters with _Hyperion_ and sliced it through! Irv and I looked at each other, he started to point and shoot _Exeter _and I cracked _Save the Queen_ at the nearest Blobra. _

_Once we dispatched all of them (There were quite a few!) we looked at each other panting. For some reason the monster only _looked_ like a Blobra, but was in fact not one… In any case, there was a funny smell coming from Seifer's trenchcoat. When we looked down at the hem we noticed that the part which had slightly touched the monster was beginning to disintegrate and was quickly spreading its way upwards! Without waiting for permission, I grabbed one of the lapels and screamed at Seifer to take it off. Thanks Hyne! he decided not to argue! He shrugged his coat off at once… and not a moment too soon! The whole thing disintegrated before our very eyes! I didn't realize it at the time, but I had a dead grip on Seifer's arm as I saw his coat disappear! Upon closer inspection, we concluded that these particular Blobras exuded a poison that could dissolve organic matter! As it did not affect _Hyperion_ at all, and to my everlasting relief, _Save the Queen_ was also left intact by the contact! (It seems that Malboro tentacles are immune to any poison…)_

_From that moment on we proceeded up the stairs with absolute caution. Those look-alike Blobras were lethal! Had we even chanced to graze one of them, our fate would've been similar to Seifer's trenchcoat! Of course, Wembley's monster report would not have this information… Although it did refer to mutations of the same monster… In any case, we never expected monsters to look like something we knew and then actually** be **something completely different!_

_Irvine shot off a few Buels which had detached themselves from the walls, but to my relief they were just normal Buels… Round and round we ascended the stairway, which became narrower and narrower until only one person could go at a time. Worried about Irvine, who was first, I put my hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to be cautious. He just flashed me that cocky smile of his, but nodded his head, his finger ready on _Exeter's_ trigger. Behind me, I could feel Seifer's tightly clenched muscles as he had plastered his back against mine, guarding the rear, _Hyperion's_ sleek black blade on the ready. I gripped _Save the Queen_ securely in my hand, ready to let it unfurl at the most minute indication of threat._

_A couple more Buels –which Irvine easily shot off, and one Forbidden which had crept up the stairs behind us (Seifer dispatched it quickly), we finally reached the end of the stairway. We found ourselves in a narrow rampart that lead to a small turret with very thin slits (It must've been used to shoot arrows during a siege a very long time ago). By looking down, I could see that we were very high up, and from the creeping darkness, that it was already past dusk. As we drew closer to the opening archway of the turret, we found out that it was packed with an entire colony of vicious Red Bats! It was impossible for me to count how many, as they swarmed toward us looking like a huge red cloud, blocking the view of the sky! Before I could even think about summoning Shiva, Tiamat was already out there dishing out his Dark Mega Flare attack. _

_Afterwards, Irv and I just looked at each other stunned by the incredible power of the attack. Back in Ultimecia's Castle we had to_fight_Tiamat to unseal our abilities …but I don't remember the GF's attacks ever being so powerful as what we had just witnessed. The entire swarm was destroyed in a matter of seconds! We both looked at Seifer who seemed to be as stunned as we were! He just mumbled something about Tiamat wanting to flex his muscles? (What does he mean by this? That Tiamat just came out because it felt like it?). _

_In any case, apart from the swarm of Red Bats, there was nothing of interest in the turret. Disappointed, we made our way to base camp. Once back, I had almost expected our things to have vanished, or that they would be strewn all over the place, or destroyed…but they were exactly where we had left them, by the broken statue. However, I could not shake off the unsettling feeling of being watched…_

_Since it was already night time, we decided to set up camp and call it a day. We would be resuming our search on first daylight. After the encounter with the Not-a-Blobra monster, exploring the ruins in pitch darkness with only our flashlights to guide us, would've been rather foolish if not hazardous. We tossed for it and the first watch would be Irvine, then Seifer and lastly me. Even as I'm writing this, I can see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the sky, weak though they are… as if somehow this place is able to diminish them…making them less warm, less bright._

_I took advantage of when Seifer shook me awake for my watch, to thank him for his kindness the other day. His only reaction was to raise an eyebrow which I interpreted as confusion, so I clarified and told him that I was thankful he had put me to bed when I had fallen asleep at the desk back in Pistille. He just looked at me, then smirked and replied that he did it, because he didn't want to deal with me being bitchy during the mission! The nerve of the man! He makes me so mad sometimes! Does he have to ridicule everything I say to him! I wanted to yell at him, but restrained myself since I didn't want to wake Irv up. I made up my mind to ignore him, but he grabbed my wrist and told me (Actually it sounded like an order!) not to wander off. I yanked my wrist from his grasp, and didn't even deigned myself to answer him. (Hyne! Who was the SeeD here and who the Cadet!)_

_Today we shall be taking the final staircase which we know leads to Odin's Chambers. We left it to the last because it's the one that Irv and I are most familiar with, having been here before to explore the ruins. Apart from the strange inscriptions Seifer found yesterday on the first staircase and the strange Not-Blobra monsters, we haven't found anything of real interest. Hopefully, today will be a more fruitful day._

_I suggested that we change the order so that I would lead and then either Irv or Seifer bring up the rear. We were going into known territory and I remembered it very well. I felt we could all benefit if I were to be the lead this time. My suggestion was greeted with absolute silence, until Seifer replied, **"No can do." **Before I could object to his remark, Irvine added casually that the arrangement had worked so well yesterday, why bother changing it today? I didn't really have a good reason unless it was the I-don't-want-to-be-stuck-in the middle kind. I could see in their expression that they knew it too!_

_As with yesterday, to conserve the battery on my PD I will only leave the microphone on._

…

… _static noise …_

…

"_Hey Quistis, wasn't it on this landing that we were forced to fight the Tonberry King?"_

"_Uh-huh… Irvine could you move a bit to the side?… Thanks, I think I see something…"_

"_Sniper-boy, eight o'clock incoming!"_

_Bang! _

"_Good shot!"_

"_What do you guys think?"_

_Swoosh!… SLASH!_

"_Huh?… Dunno, Quisty, looks like some kinda material…"_

"_Yeah, there seems to have been some kinda scuffle that went on…" SLASH! "… By the looks of it… FUCK! TREPE! WATCH OUT!" CLANG! CLANG! _

"_Ouch! Seifer! Did you have to push me so hard!"_

… _swoOOSH! "Oh! So sorry to have saved your pretty butt, Trepe!"_

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"_Guys, like, can I get some backup here?"_

…_Crack! …SNAP! CRACK!_

_Swoosh! Slash! … Clang! Swwwoosh! Voosh!_

_Bang! Bang!_

"_Wow! Those monsters, like, just came outta nowhere, man!"_

… _panting…_

"_Oh, dear! What a mess! In any case we better take this unidentifiable _'thing'_ with us and have it analysed once we get back to Garden…"_

"_Quisty, there're fresh bullets buried in this wall, and like they're not mine."_

"_Can you pry some off?"_

"_Yeah… Sure!"_

"_Trepe! Over here!… The panel on this altar has those weird inscriptions we saw before."_

"_Oh! Let me see! Why is it that I didn't notice them last time?"_

"_I wasn't there, Trepe, that's why…!"_

"_Hah! Like, I'd save the effort Almasy, she's like zoned you out…"_

"_What?"_

"_Seifer, don't crowd me! Let me… Huh? _'Odin's throne'_…? What does it mean?... Aaah, I see!"_

_SWOosh! "FIRA!" …Slash!_

_BANG! BANG!_

_Clang!_

"_Trepe!" SLASH…swoosh! "Are we ready to move on?" Clang!... "Or you're still ooh-oh-aahing over the pretty pictures?" …Voosh!_

"_Hyne, Seifer! Do you have to be so impatient! There's some important information to be gleamed from this inscriptions!"_

"_Yeah!" BANG! bang! "It's like gettin' kinda crowded around here, Quisty!" BANG!_

"_Let me… '_mechanism …' _Oh! I see! _'Beware…?' …_Hmm? Okay, all done!"_

"_Let's go, Trepe! Sniper-boy!"_

"_Hyne, Seifer! Can you let go my arm?"_

"_NO!" Clang! …Slash!_

_Bang! Bang! BANG!_

_Crack! …"Blizzara!"_

"_Seifer! Climb onto the altar!"_

"_WHAT?" …Swoosh! Clang!_

_Crack! Crack! "Trust me! It's an elevator!"_

"_Yeah! She's right!"_

_BANG! BANG!_

"_Trepe! You first!"_

"_Eeep! SEIFER! Watch where you put your hands!"_

"_Hey! Soft!"_

…_snicker …snicker…_

"_Oh! Shut-up Irvine!"_

…

"_PHEW!..."_

"_Wow! Check out the scorched walls! Hey, Quisty! I don't remember that from last time…"_

"_Oh, my! There're also signs of a struggle here… See these marks on this blackened wall?"_

"_Hmm… Trepe, you may be right… But nothin' human could've made those claw marks!"_

"_Pheeew!… They're, like, humongous!"_

"_Okay, let's look around and see if we can find more …Oh, goodness! I hope these ashes over here are not what I think they are…!" _

"_Let's scoop some up for testin' later…"_

"_Err… You do it, Seifer…"_

"_What, Instructor? Scared?"_

"_No! Hardly! It's your Field Exam, remember?"_

"_Alright! Alright! Don't burst your panties!"_

"_Seifer! Sometimes you can be **so** crude!"_

"_Whatever…"_

…

…

"_Quisty, I've thoroughly scouted like the west side and found nothin'."_

"_Me too, I found nothing of interest… How about you, Seifer?"_

"_Zilch!"_

"_Hmm… Maybe after the scuffle below, like us they made it to the elevator, got here… Only to be met by a more powerful enemy…"_

"_You mean, like you're talkin' bout those Centran Agents, right?"_

"_Uh-huh… At least it would explain the scenario we found below _and _the one here…" _

"_Err…Quisty…?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_The bullets I found embedded on the wall? …There're not the standard Centran Military issue… Like, they're not the standard issue anything, y'know? They're like some kinda special bullet type I've_ **never**_ seen before!"_

"_Great! Sniper-boy here only confirms those assholes had a hidden agenda 'bout this fucking place!"_

"_You may be right, Seifer… I wonder what it is that they're hiding…?"_

"_Or tryin' to find, Instructor… And, I'm **always** right!"_

"_Irvine, now that I think about it… Why don't you use Diablo's ENC-NONE ability?"_

"_Like I am!… I was, but somehow it's not workin'!"_

"_Oh! You mean… All this time you were using it but it didn't …"_

"_Nope, yesterday and today… Diablo's ENC-NONE didn't do a damned thing!"_

"_Oh, dear! I wonder what else will not work in this stranger-by-the-second place!"_

"_Can we cut the chit-chat short? I don't wanna be here just in case whatever left these nice claw marks decides to come back for more souvenirs… Let's go!"_

"_If I remember correctly, we have to touch the altar for another staircase to appear…"_

"_Like, what're we waitin' for?"_

"_Okay, here goes nothing…"_

"_Oooh! Lookit! Pretty lights and a pretty stairway!"_

"_Shut up, Seifer!"_

…

"_So… Here's the demon statue with both jewelled eyes…"_

"…_Pheeeww!" … "That's one ugly mother-fucker!"_

"_Yeah! Like you said it, man! Thought so, like, last time too…"_

…_sigh…_

…

"_This is the entrance to Odin's Chamber …Door's open…"_

"_Quisty, **we** got it opened last time 'member?"_

"_In any case better be prepared for any contingency… Seifer! What now?"_

"_Sniper-boy first… He's got the nice shiny shotgun, see?"_

…_snicker…_

…

_ROAR!_

_BANG! "SHIT! SHIT! Ruby Dragon!" BANG!_

…_SWOOSH! "How the FUCK did it get here!" CLANG!…SLASH!_

_CRACK! SNAP! "Blizzaga!" CRACK! …"Watch out for its Claw Swipe attack!"_

_BANG! BANG! "DIABLOS!"_

… _static…_

"_WHAT! Why didn't it work?" …Snap! …Crack! "TRIPLE!"_

…_SWOOSH! …SLASH! "Fuck! This monster's got a real thick hide!"_

"_Shell! … Shell! … Shell! CAREFUL! It's known to cast Meteor!"_

_**ROAR!** …Swipe!_

"_TREPE! MOVE THE FUCK OUTTA THE WAY!" CLANG! …SWOOSH! VOOSH!_

"_OW! Protect! …Protect! … Protect!"_

"_AURA!" …"Move back! I'm gonna shoot this fucker with my Hyper Shot!"_

…_SWOOSH! "CURAGA!" …SLASH! "Just fuckin' do it Kinneas!"_

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

"_SHIVA!"_

… _static…_

_BANG! BANG! "SHIT! Now's like real mad!"_

_ROAR! … **ROAR!**_

"_WATCH OUT! THAT THING JUST CAST METEOR!"_

… … _static… …_

…_pant …"This is…" panting… "…one strong mother-fucker!" …"NO MERCY! … TEMPLAR-FLARE!" …SLASH! …SWIPE! …SWOOSH! SLICE! _

"_DARK SHOT!" BANG! BANG! BANG! "FUCK! This thing's immune to status attacks!"_

"_WHITE WIND!"_

_**ROAR! ROAR! **…**SWIPE!**_

"_QUISTY!" _

"_TREPE!"_

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"_LIFE! Dammit!"_

"_Ooow! Thanks!" …groan… "Mighty Guard!"_

"_NO MERCY! …CRUSADER REVENGE!" …SLICE! SLICE! …SWIPE! VOOSH! SLASH!_

"_EAT THIS! HYPER SHOT!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

"_I think we got the mother …FUCK! ULTIMA! RUN! RUN FOR COVER!"_

"_EEEP! SEIFER! Put me DOWN!"_

"_SHUT UP, TREPE!"_

… … _static… …_

…

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_01.06.01 AU_

_I never thought I would be greeting the first of June inside Odin's Chamber near the incinerated bodies of two Centran Agents. The bodies are so charred that we can't tell if they are male or female or anything! If what I fear is true, I think the ashes we found below near the scorched walls must belong to the third… Even if they** were** crack Centran Council agents, they probably never expected to have to fight a Ruby Dragon inside the Ruins! At least I think it was a Ruby Dragon… Although this particular one was specially nasty and incredibly strong! We never bothered scanning it. I suspect that Scan would've failed in any case, like with those pseudo-Blobras we encountered! It disturbs me greatly that the dragon was immune to Diablos' attack, because it's normally one of the best ways to tackle Ruby Dragons… And that unexpected Ultima spell! Ruby Dragons are known to cast Meteor, I've **never**ever heard of any who can do Ultima… Except for this one. It affected my PD by turning it off! To my utter relief, I was able to turn it back on again… With no data loss! (NOTE: commend Lank and Port for their creation of an indestructible device!)_

_As for us, I'm glad to report that we're still in one piece. Our clothes, however, were in a terrible condition… Seifer's trenchcoat was dissolved by merely grazing the not-a-Blobra. Irvine's hat and part of his duster was singed by the dragon's Breath attack. (I told him it was better his hat than his head! When I heard him complain…) My jeans (They were my favourite pair!) and my t-shirt were ripped when that horrible monster took a swipe at me from shoulder to thigh! Had I not protected and healed everyone… (including myself) Instead of being knocked out, I would've been knocked **off**! The Protect spell cushioned a lot of the dragon's blow that I was unable to evade. When I was revived, I felt weak but my blue magic came to the rescue… I was able to cast Mighty Guard on us all, and not a minute too soon! We didn't expect the dragon to cast Ultima! I was grateful that Seifer realized I couldn't possibly run quickly enough, but I wished he'd assisted me in a different manner! (He tossed over on his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes and made a run for it!) As it was, we still caught the tail end of it, and I had to cast White Wind again. I don't know why I have blue magic abilities, but I'm grateful I can summon them in moments of direst need!_

_Even as I was healing everyone, Irvine shot the dragon again with his Pulse Ammo and Seifer repeated his No Mercy limit break… I was familiar with Fire-Cross, but Hyne! Crusader Revenge is such a devastating attack! It **has** got to be at the very** least** ten times more powerful! (And, unlike Fire-Cross, it unleashes bolts of pure non-elemental energy with every single stroke!) I was gathering all of my remaining strength to cast Shockwave Pulsar when the dragon gave a final roar and fell! For some reason the fight with this dragon reminded me of the one we had against Ultimate Weapon! It was almost as strong and its attacks were as devastating! Thanks Hyne that this monster was not as fast and that its Breath attack, although bad, did not resemble Light Pillar! In any case, I do hope that this will be the worst of the monsters around here… _

_After the fight we scouted the room. I looked over the pictograms that had fascinated me the last time we were here, and asked Irv to take a good picture of them. I was also intrigued to find inscriptions on the stone floor, but I was really too exhausted by the fight to try and decipher anything… Once we determined the room was empty and therefore safe, we decided to rest for a bit just to recuperate from that difficult and strenuous fight. We debated on whether we should return to the base camp below or not. We'd only come up with the minimum: provisions and bedrolls. _

_I wanted to go back, because the right side of my pants were ripped from the thigh down, and there was a huge tear on my t-shirt which bordered on the indecent! Irv didn't care either way, but Seifer objected by saying that the landing below was probably infested by monsters and that none of us was in good enough shape to go down there and fight another battalion of them just so to get some girlie stuff! (Hyne! Does he have to be so insulting?) When I told him I didn't feel comfortable walking with part of my chest exposed! He just looked me over with mocking green eyes, and told me to put my jacket on!_

_My face burned with mortification, I'd completely forgotten about it! To cover up I told him it was too warm to have it on. He didn't reply, he just reached over to where I had the jacket tied to my rucksack. Once he had the garment, he shook it open, looked at it critically, and ripped the sleeves! My mouth must've opened and closed, but no sound came out of it. The huge explosion inside my brain muted Irvine's voice. I grabbed _Save the Queen_ ready to give Seifer a scar that would cross the other one he already had… I was so upset! In my fury, I'd forgotten how quick he could be. He had his hands clamped on my arms before I could even think about unfurling my whip! But his chest was there, so I used my fists to pound at it… All he did was tighten his grip and say, **"Whoa, Trepe! You wanted to cover yourself, but found your jacket too warm… So I solved your little problem."** He brought his face down so that our noses were almost touching, **"You should be thanking me, Instructor, instead of throwing a tantrum…" **That's when the roar inside my head subsided, and I could hear Irvine asking me to keep calm… I yanked myself out of Seifer's grasp, (Okay, so he let me go!) and bent on the floor to pick up my poor mutilated jacket. I took a deep breath, put it on, and went to sit by Irvine who didn't say a word to me; instead he just put his arm comfortingly around my shoulder. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. Flirt or no flirt, Irv's a good friend._

…

_After resting, (I was also back to my calm self) to be on the safe side, I made them each drink an X-Potion. (I've already drank one myself) I always carry a supply in my utility belt during missions. Irv was not too hard to convince, but Seifer… I had to trick him into drinking his… At first, he said in his own inimitable style, **"No fucking way!"** Even when he saw Irv drink his without protesting, he refused. At my continued insistence, he replied, **"I'll do it… If you give me…a reward, Instructor."** And smirked at me even as he looked at my lips suggestively. Hyne! I was asking him to drink it for his own damned good! _

_I ignored Irvine's loud chuckle, and leaned close to Seifer. The three of us were resting against the wall, so all I had to do was place a hand on his shoulder and raise myself on my knees to whisper suggestively in his ear, **"Close your eyes and I'll give you something good…" **I saw his eyes widen (Humph! I bet he wasn't expecting that!), then looking at me suspiciously he closed them. (I could feel Irvine's amusement!) After our little heated session at the hotel lobby in Pistille, I knew Seifer wouldn't think a peck on the lips_ 'rewarding'_ enough, so I caressed his squarish jaw softly (It felt a bit rough because of the stubble) and murmured very close to his lips, **"Open your mouth…"** And when he did, I pinched his nose, hard, and poured the X-Potion down his throat! After that, and with Irvine laughing his head off, I scooted myself out of harm's way!_

_Of course Seifer spluttered and of course he choked! But he had swallowed most of the potion! He promised me all manner of punishment, but I ignored him. I had finally scored one point in my favour! I felt good! _

_Feeling victorious, I decided to look at the inscriptions on the floor first. They were located on the exact same place where Odin had been standing as he waited for us to try and best him. Strange I hadn't noticed them the first time I was here, but then I was more worried about the threat of the sorceress… In any case, this time around they seemed to glow faintly in the falling darkness. I could see through the cracks on the chamber's stained glass windows that it was already past dusk. I asked Irvine to come over and take a picture of them:_

'Impia tortorum longos hic turba furores'

'Sanguinis innocui, non satiata, aluit'

_I was amazed at how clear they were! Of course, these inscriptions were not as ancient as the ones we found on the final landing of the easternmost stairway. They were probably carved onto the stone around the same time as the pictograms on the walls. As expected, Irv and Seifer were impatient to know what the inscriptions were saying. I'm not much of an expert on the old Centran languages, but these inscriptions were not as difficult to decipher as the first and second set… I told them that they seemed to be more of a warning than an incantation, something about_ 'unholytorturers'_ maybe _'eating?''the innocent?' _I was not sure if it meant _'blood' _or _ 'artery'_ and _'wanting more?'_, perhaps my translation left a lot to be desired, but we all got the gruesome picture… Even as I was trying to make out the inscription, I was very tempted to touch the words… They seemed to be whispering to me, asking me to touch them…_

_In slow motion, as if guided by a will not my own, my hand just hovered over the word _'innocui'_. It glowed brighter than the others. My fingers went unerringly to that word and touched it… All of a sudden the stone floor began to shake, and the roof seemed about to collapse on us when a huge gaping hole opened up on the floor. I would've fallen had Irvine not lunged forward and pulled me away from the widening gap. On the alert now, the three of us waited for anything threatening to emerge from that hole on the ground, but nothing came out. We stood and listened, but we heard nothing except silence. I knew without even looking at Seifer that he was furious at me. (I've noticed that when he's angry his eyes become a glittering emerald green, and the scar on his forehead looks more prominent…)_

_Upon closer inspection, we realized that the gaping hole was really a spiral staircase leading to who knows where! Curious now, I wanted to keep on going, but to my utter disbelief both Seifer and Irvine outvoted me and decided that it was best to set up camp in Odin's Chamber. (Since when have they become so cautious!) In the end, I realized I was too exhausted to argue with them, so we decided on the same rotation as yesterday. Irvine would have first watch, Seifer next and me last._

…

_Next time I'm suggesting that we change the roster! I will go first, Irv second and Seifer last! Just like yesterday, when it was my turn, Seifer shook me awake. Still hazy with sleep I was only vaguely aware that he was helping me to my feet… It was only when he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist that my mind began to clear, but even as I realized his intent, it was already too late. He'd already positioned my head with his other hand and his mouth was swiftly covering mine. I felt his tongue gently coaxing my lips to open… I must've sighed in response, because he seized the moment to sink his tongue deep inside my mouth… Hyne! He tasted so good! His kiss was hard, demanding. With my whole body on fire and my senses in a complete state of disarray, I didn't realize I was standing on tiptoes with both my arms around his neck until he released my lips and lifted his head. Still in a daze from his passionate kiss, I could only stare at his face. Slowly he bent his head again until I felt his lips kiss my neck softly, sending shivers up and down my spine. He must've felt the tremors, because his hands had somehow found their way beneath my jacket, my t-shirt… He nipped my earlobe with his sharp teeth before whispering huskily in my ear, **"Thanks for the reward… Instructor." **_

That_definitely cleared my mind! Incredibly embarrassed, I tried to push him away, darting a quick look at Irvine's sleeping form (Thanks Hyne Irv's a deep sleeper!), but Seifer, that arrogant jerk! wouldn't budge. **"That was my reward,"** he told me softly,** "This is payback…" ** After saying that, he dipped his head and seized my lips roughly in a mind-shattering kiss that turned all my bones into liquid fire. Those wicked hands of his were not idle either! When he lifted his head, my entire body was humming, and I could feel my heart pounding like crazy inside the confines of its ribcage! Had he not been holding me, I think I would've fallen… (Dammit! Why do I allow this man to kiss me senseless!) _

_I suddenly realized that a monster could've attacked us and I wouldn't have known! Coming to my senses, I glared at him. Had Irvine not been there sleeping peacefully I would've yelled at him! Oh! How I wanted to! By the knowing look on his face and the smirk on his lips, he knew it too… This time, when I pushed him, he released me. Cool as anything, as if nothing had happened, he told me before going hitting his bedroll not to wander off! (Oooh! He makes me sooo mad!)_

…

_It's almost time to set out again._

_I know that we'll find answers down that stairwell. Something in here is making monsters mutate… or is creating new ones but giving them the appearance of known monsters…! More than ever, I feel the need to get to the bottom of this (no pun intended), because whatever strange force is being awakened here, will definitely pose a threat not only to Edea's House, but to the whole of the Centra continent as well… and perhaps by extension, to us all…_

_I'm not sure how many more days we'll be in this mission, and the battery is beginning to run low so I think I will turn my PD completely off and resume recording or writing my journal whenever I can… I've noticed that even with only the microphone function on, this device still consumes quite a bit of battery… Hyne! I miss my laptop! Thanks goodness I had Irvine's PD outfitted for special infrared image taking as he's quite a keen photographer … I've asked Seifer to keep a copy of Wembley's files in his, just in case my unit dies… If only he could comply with other requests as easily…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_03.06.01 AU_

_Hyne! Has it been really been that long? I need to retrace my steps now. It was the first of June when we descended those spiral stairs that had suddenly appeared in Odin's Chamber. I was first, followed by Seifer (Surprised me he would consent to be in the middle, after all the fuzz he put up!), then Irvine came bringing up the rear. And no, we didn't '_discuss'_ anything… I just took to the stairs, and said to them, **"Let's go!" ** They had no choice but to follow. _

_The steps, which were already quite narrow to begin with, became even narrower as we went down, to the point that if I stretched my elbows they would be grazing the smooth stone walls. It couldn't have been too comfortable for Irv and Seifer, being both taller and wider than I am. As we continued descending, the roof became closer and closer, so that if Seifer were to raise his hand he could touch the roof with his palm… I don't know how long we kept on going down, I lost track of time. (Our chronos had been a casualty of our fight with the unusual Ruby Dragon) No one said anything, we were all too tense not knowing what we would find or where we were heading… _

_Perhaps at another time, in another place, I might've complained about having Seifer following me almost plastered to my back, the glint of _Hyperion's_ blade looming menacingly before me… But the feel of his muscles, hard and warm… Somehow comforted me in the midst of the pitch darkness that surrounded us…_

_We kept on going down the unlit stairs with only the weak light of my flashlight to guide us through. (We had lost whatever natural light we had, many many steps ago…) In a rare moment of unanimous agreement, we decided to conserve power by using one flashlight at a time… From the little that I could see and the very stillness of the air, we were probably the first to use these steps for a long time, perhaps even a millennia or two?… Our downwards descent seemed to last forever… Fortunately, we encountered no monsters but I could sense Seifer's impatience, because it echoed my own! I wanted to get to the end of these neverending stairs! With that in mind, I tried to pick-up our downward pace, but to my astonishment Seifer grabbed my elbow and wouldn't let me!_

_After what seemed like forever, we finally hit even ground, but the passageway that loomed before us was as narrow as the steps. I flashed my light at the walls and again found them to be smooth, no inscriptions, nothing – Just plain rock. All we heard was the sound of our own breathing and our boots as they crunched the hard stone floor beneath us. Again, no idea how long we traversed the long passageway that seemed to stretch endlessly like the stairs, but I was getting tired and dehydrated. We had taken no breaks to rest, not even to have a drink of water…somehow it felt wrong to stop in the middle of this long and narrow passageway surrounded by the most oppressive pitch darkness. We could be a hundred feet under or still above the surface –Odin's Chamber was located on the third level, but I think we've gone down much more than that…_

_Now that I stop and think about it, the passageway reminds me of a very narrow version of the Tomb of the Unknown King, except I don't believe we were in a maze. There were no openings to the left or to the right, just the straight and narrow corridor. And no monsters whatsoever. I know that after a while, both Seifer and Irvine had relaxed their guard. In the corridor, like in the stairs, there was an air of stillness …as if nothing had moved in there for a very long time. I confess I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I saw a faint light gleaming from afar, perhaps as far as fifteen to twenty yards away. Picking up the pace, I wanted to get there as quickly as possible only to be stopped again by Seifer's grip on my upper arm. Frowning, I looked up at him, but he was looking straight ahead at the source of the dim light. Knowing from experience that yanking my arm would get me nowhere, I elbowed his gut to signal that he release me. Looking behind him, I saw that Irvine was once again on the alert, _Exeter_ on the ready. Still looking ahead, Seifer released my arm but not before he tightened his grip in silent caution. Once again I saw _Hyperion_ looming before me… As a sign that I understood his warning, I grabbed _Save the Queen_ from where I had it clinched and felt its familiar weight in my hand, ready to unfurl._

_Armed and on the ready, the three of us approached the source of the light cautiously. _

_As we got closer, I could see that the light streaming out of the room had a bluish tinge to it and illuminated the curved archway entrance. Remembering our unexpected encounter with the Ruby Dragon, I looked once again behind me to make sure everyone was on the ready. Seifer's attention was already focused toward the entryway, his eyes reflecting the bluish light. Behind him Irvine nodded at me, his finger already on _Exeter's _trigger while his other hand held up the shotgun's barrel. I unfurled _Save the Queen _and rushed into the room ready for anything. I was not surprise to find Seifer and Irvine right next to me with their weapons pointing towards the source of the light… Except that the room was empty! _

_I can't say I was disappointed to find nothing. (Parts of me were even relieved!) Seifer and Irvine scanned the room before lowering their weapons. As for me, …I couldn't take my eyes off the light itself. It emanated from a circle placed in the middle of a large circular room with a very high domed ceiling. There were very strange glyphs inscribed within the square inside the circle. There were four glyphs. One glyph on each of the square's corner. It was a strange sight: A square within a circle placed within a circle of stone. I could feel them whispering inside my mind… just like the glowing inscriptions in Odin's Chamber. Unintentionally, I took a step towards that radiant light, but the firm hand that grasped my elbow stopped me. It was Irvine. He looked at me and shook his head silently, before releasing my arm. I understood. I had almost succumbed to the lure of the glowing symbols. Again. _

_It took me an enormous mental effort, but I forced myself to look away from the strange glyphs only to encounter the jolt of Seifer's eyes across the circle of light. He was regarding me with a watchful look on his face. Looking away from the silent warning in his eyes, I scanned the circular structure. The room itself was constructed with the same smooth stone that characterized both the passageway and the stairs. I looked up at the domed ceiling and wondered why anyone would bother building such an elaborate roof over this windowless room. From the looks of things we were at a dead end. The entryway seemed to be the only means to enter and exit the room. I signalled Irvine and Seifer to explore the smooth surface of the room's wall in the hopes of perhaps finding some hidden mechanism that might trigger a hidden door. But it was to no avail, we found nothing unusual… Except for that circle of light…_

_Strangely enough, the unsettling sensation of being watched, which has dogged me throughout this entire mission, was somehow dissipated in this room. Perhaps because the whispering inside my head was growing louder; although I've tried my best to ignore it… We had finally decided to rest inside this room illuminated by the eerie light of the glyph circle. After sharing a very sparse meal of water and power-bars, I suggested that we call it a day and try to get some sleep. I offered to do the first watch and could sense Seifer staring at me with very cool and assessing eyes, as if trying to measure the trustworthiness of my words. Even as I walked around the room, I could feel his gaze following me. Annoyed, I raised an eyebrow at him and looked pointedly at Irvine who had promptly rolled out his mattress and was already fast asleep, with_ Exeter_ cradled in his arms. Seifer just shrugged and to my alarm stood up and slowly walked towards me. _

_At this unexpected action I couldn't help but remember the last time he'd kissed me senseless. However, not wishing to look like a coward I stood my ground and waited for him to approach me. He stopped only a couple of inches away to ask me softly,** "What's bothering you, Trepe?"** He'd folded his arms over his chest. With _Hyperion_ securely holstered to his right hip for easy access (Although I know he's taught himself to be ambidextrous), I wondered if he knew how intimidating he could seem to other people. (What am I asking, of course he did!) He looked directly at me and then gazed at the circle of light. I realized at that moment that he knew! He knew that I was tempted beyond reason to step into the centre of the glowing circle! Those insistent voices kept calling me, they were almost becoming too hard to resist! Not knowing what to say, I just shook my head at him and looked towards the bluish light. It was beckoning to me…_

_I felt his arm go around my waist, (I guess I'm more than passing familiar with the feel of it by now…) I half expected him to try and kiss me senseless again, but he surprised me once more by cradling my head in his hand and making it rest on the crook of his shoulder. Was Seifer offering to comfort me? How odd is that? Once again, my body disregarded the doubts in my mind and sank into his arms… Did I feel a feather caress on the top of my head? I was more confused than ever now… And like the time we descended the staircase, I felt myself comforted by his nearness and by the steady sound of his heartbeat._

_After a while, I lifted my head from his shoulder, and gently pushed him away. Smiling up at him, I raised myself on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips which made him widen his eyes at me. I guess I managed to surprise him… I told him softly that I was alright and that he should be getting some sleep. I must've laid his suspicions to rest, because this time he unfolded his bedroll without any objections and went to sleep. I waited a long time to insure myself that Seifer was fast asleep. Once I heard his steady breathing echoing Irvine's, I knew it would be my only chance to step into the light…_

_As I drew closer, the light's bluish tinge became more intense, I was about to step into the circle when I felt a hand grab me and quickly turn me around. I was staring into Seifer's angry eyes, **"What are you trying to do, Instructor?" **He asked me menacingly. I tried to shrugged him off, but of course to no avail, he was unmovable. **"You don't understand!"** I hissed at him. **"Try me,"** He replied. I decided to look elsewhere and not bother to answer him… I should've known better than to try that with him! I must've let out a loud gasp when he lifted and carried me to his bedroll. I squirmed to make him release me, but he just tightened his hold on me until I felt like my breath was being gradually squeezed away. _

"_**Trepe, we'll stay like this until you tell me what the fuck is goin' on!"** He threatened, but I replied that his arms would tire way before that. In reply, he just smirked and squatted down. I wasn't sure about his intentions when he threw me onto his bedroll! I was still trying to regain my breath, when I felt his body on top of mine pinning me to his sleeping mat! With my wrists securely imprisoned in each of his hands, he brought his face down to mine and said, **"Believe me, I'll enjoy the wait more than you, Trepe!"** I looked over to where Irv was sleeping, thinking inconsequently that he really did sleep like a log… Looking up into Seifer's face, I struggled furiously trying to push him off me. In retaliation, he just tightened his hold and whispered in my ear, **"If you don't stop your squirmin', Instructor, I might have to teach you somethin' about how a guy's anatomy works…"** To prove his point he parted my legs with his… Even through the layers of my thick jeans and his I could feel that he was getting aroused. I stopped moving immediately, **"Good girl!"** He murmured softly. _

_I tried to reason with him, **"Seifer, you don't understand… They're calling me…"** The voices had become even more insistent._

"_**Who's calling you?"** He looked down at me, and to my surprise gently kissed my brow._

"_**The voices, they keep telling me that I have to activate the circle…"**_

"_**Why?"**_

"_**I-I don't know, but i-it's important… Don't you get it?"** I didn't understand why, but I was crying, tears were rolling down my cheeks and onto Seifer's bedroll. The voices inside my head were becoming more urgent. Deep inside I felt something cataclysmic was about to happen._

"_**Quistis… What the fuck is going on? You're not being yourself…"** _

"_**You have to let me step into the circle! IT'S IMPORTANT!"** I yelled, I didn't care if I woke Irvine up or not. Of course I woke him up and he saw Seifer lying on top of me holding down my wrists. I was stunned when all Irvine did was look at us curiously while rubbing his eyes. All he said was, **"S'up guys?"** Seifer got off me, but kept one of my wrists imprisoned in his hand. **"I dunno Kinneas, why don't you ask her?"** Irvine looked at me and must've noticed the wet tracks on my face left by my tears, plus the fact that I was still crying. **"Quisty?"** I guess he'd never seen me in tears before._

"_**T-Tell him Irvine! T-Tell him to let me go! I need to step into that circle!" **I tried to wrestle my wrist from Seifer's grasp and make a run for it, but it was impossible to have him let go. **"D-Don't you understand"** I found myself yelling at both of them now, **"So-something… Something horrible is about to happen!" **Without realizing it, I was hitting Seifer's chest with both of my fists. I was so far gone that I didn't notice that once again he'd enfolded me in his arms, and tried to offer me comfort. I forced myself to relax in his arms, and somehow managed to stem the flow of my tears by taking very deep breaths. The voices inside my head were somehow ruthlessly stripping me of all the control I had over my emotions. Part of me knew that Irvine was shocked to see me act so hysterically. When I finally felt Seifer loosen his hold on me, I pushed him away with all my strength and made a run for it. As I found myself engulfed in the circle of blue light I could still hear the two of them screaming my name…_

§ § §

To be continued…


	21. The Sibyl Erythraea

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 20:** The Sibyl Erythraea**

– _Excerpt taken from the** Book of Ormus **–_

I remember her well. Erythraea was a woman of grace, beauty and great wisdom. Had she been other than whom she was, her destiny would have been that of Queen or High Priestess. However, those who have been born with The Gift are not meant to walk freely amongst the mortal. It was the honour as well as the duty bestowed by the gods upon a very privileged few. From the cradle, Erythraea knew what was expected of her, and she accepted her great destiny with humility. At the very height of her power, she performed the rites of ascendance in the Oracle Chamber of Astaroth Castle.

I was present at the time, and may the gods forgive me for such sacrilegious thoughts, but a part of me felt a great sorrow and an infinite pity that such a one as Erythraea should have to be confined into the glyphs that have been freshly carved into the cold stone of the Oracular Altar. Her body, the vessel that had kept her soul bound to this mortal plane of existence was to be made to fade. I can still see her body dispersing slowly, graceful limb by graceful limb, by means of the magical ritual that Erythraea chanted until all that was left was the sound of her sweet voice, and then, even that had to fade into oblivion.

The glyphs carvings on the altar which had been dormant began to glow with an inner light. I could feel the stirrings of an immense force, a very deep magic, barely contained, surge into the chamber. The Oracular Altar began to tremble and the very ground on which we were standing to shake. Perhaps some of the people present cried in fear or fainted, I know not for I could not hear them. All my senses were swept away by the fantastical swirl of power that flowed into the room and poured itself into the circle of light that was created by the glyph.

Thus the mortal woman known as Erythraea was no more. Standing within the circle of light all of us beheld the coming a most revered and sacred of beings, a semi-divine entity able to communicate with the gods and to foresee the future: the Sibyl Erythraea. The Sibyl had no corporeal form. She? He? was a pool of the brightest light with a disembodied voice. This was the very first pronouncement, I remember the words exactly:

_Judicii signum  
Exuret terras ignis portumque polumque  
Eripitur solis jubar et choris interit astris  
Solvetur celum lunaris splendor orbitit_

_Sic pariter fontes torrentur flumanque igni  
Non erit in rebus hominem sublime vel altum  
Tum equantur campis montes et cerula ponti  
Omnia cessabut tellus contracta peribit_

The world had waited a long time for such a one to appear, and guide us in the wisdom of their Gift, but the Sibyl Erythraea first words of prophesy brought dread and disquiet into the hearts of the people present. The second pronouncement that followed was equally harsh.

The Sibyl Erythraea's own end would also be the end of the Gift bestowed upon mortals by the gods. So that in essence the Sibyl Erythraea, although long awaited would also be the last such a one that the world would ever know.

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

I have borrowed these verses freely from the _Chant of the Latin Sibyl_ which dates back to the tenth/eleventh century A.D. (In the _real _world that is… ;-)


	22. Destiny's Hand

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 21:** Destiny's Hand**

_Sometimes you can't tell  
Whether you're waking up  
Or going to sleep  
Spiralling unnumbered streets  
All the games cannot be yours  
All the sights, the treasures of the eye  
Does the divided soul remain the same?  
No equation to explain  
Destiny's hand_

–Patti Smith–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_03.06.01 AU_

_I closed my eyes to keep them from being blinded by the bright light that had me completely enfolded in its radiance. When I opened them again, I found myself inside another circular room! But unlike the other, this one had bright daylight streaming inside through the narrow slits that had been carved onto a very high domed ceiling, and the room was not empty. Facing me, was a stone altar with a glowing pedestal sitting on top of it. Even in the bright sunlight, I could perceive the faint glow that emanated from the surface of the pedestal. My mind had barely finished registering what my eyes saw, when in another flash of bright light, Irvine and Seifer were standing right in front of me looking dumbfounded! _

_Seifer was the first of the two to recover. After raking me from head to toe with his eyes, he walked over to the spot where I was standing. (I was still paralysed, my mind reeling as to how I got where I was!) Once he was only an inch apart, he cupped my face abruptly and made me look up into his watchful eyes. What he saw seemed to satisfy him, because he just grunted and released me. His glittering eyes spoke volumes. He remained silent, but I knew that if I tried moving even the fraction of an inch, he would be all over me. Irvine, on the other hand, when he recovered from the shock of being teleported (…I think that's what happened to us…) came over, gave me a bone crushing hug which practically lifted my feet off the ground, and started yelling at me… He wanted to know why I did what I've done, and if I cared that he'd been worried to death about me! (And so on…)_

_Now that I no longer hear those voices whispering to me, and have been able to regain part of my usual equanimity …I don't think I could offer Irvine a satisfactory explanation about anything. I could not even begin to explain what I've done in the other room to myself! How sane would it be to tell him, **"Oh, some voices were screaming inside my head to step into the circle of light…"** It sounded crazy to myself! Unexpectedly, it was Seifer who bailed me out of answering! I heard him say to Irv, **"Let it go, Kinneas! She's in no shape to answer your question…" ** I felt bad because I knew that Irvine's unusual barrage of questions had been motivated mainly by worry… I reached out and squeezed his hand, the small gesture seemed to at least pacify him._

_There was deep magic in operation here. How else could we explain the fact that we had been teleported into this unknown place? We examined the room. I was unsurprised to find that it was built with the same smooth stone that characterized the previous one. Like myself, they've noticed the altar and the glowing pedestal immediately. For some reason, one of them always seemed to be standing between me and the altar… (They didn't trust me!) Annoyed, I told them that if we wanted to get out of there, the altar was the only thing in the room we hadn't examined yet. Apart from the slits on the high ceiling domed-like roof, which were located at least twenty to twenty-five feet above our heads, there seemed to be no way out of the place. There were no other windows, no hidden doors that we could find. Nothing. Grudgingly, as if fearing I would disappear on them again, they allowed me to get closer to the altar. I was the only one there who had any chance of deciphering ancient Centran… _

_The altar itself was not a very impressive structure. It was merely a rectangular rock formation, roughly a bit higher than my waist with a small stone pedestal in the middle. Now, the pedestal itself was very elaborate. It was made from a black onyx-like stone shaped like a square. There was a triangle carved on the very center of its smooth polished surface. Each tip of the triangle pointed towards a glowing glyph, but it was the strange glowing symbol enclosed within a circle, carved inside the triangle, that drew my attention. Once again, I was tempted beyond reason to touch the glowing carvings. I could easily fit the entire triangle (with the three glyphs included) under the palm of my hand…_

_Seifer's hand snaked out and grabbed mine, as if somehow he was attuned to my inner thoughts and sought to stop me from succumbing to the temptation… I looked up into his glittering eyes, asking him silently to trust me. However, had he asked me why, I don't think I could've answered him. All I knew was that it was an altogether different feeling to the one I had before … Shiva was the one compelling me to touch the glowing pedestal! When I saw Seifer's eyes flare open, I knew he'd probably gotten a similar message from Tiamat, but he didn't release my hand. We both looked at Irvine simultaneously and found an equally stunned expression on his face. Not being able to stand the tension I asked him tentatively, **"Is Diablos prompting you to touch it?"** Irv merely nodded in my direction and then looked at the pedestal._

_I stared at Seifer again and told him to release my hand, since it was obvious our GFs wanted us to touch the glowing pedestal. He shook his head and with an insolent grin he said, **"My turn to play, Trepe."** He let go my hand and extended it towards the pedestal before I could stop him!_

_None of us was prepared for what happened! A blue forcefield formed around the pedestal and pushed Seifer away! I ran to where he was crouching on the floor with one knee down, one hand cradling his head. I wanted to insure myself that he was alright. Anxiously, I swatted his hand away from his face and saw that he was uninjured. (He was swearing profusely, so I guess I should've known better than to worry!) I was about to get up when I heard Irvine scream. He too had tried to touch the glowing symbol, but had also been rejected. After insuring that he was alright as well (Now, I had both of them swearing a blue streak!), I approached the glowing light myself ignoring their loud objections. I half expected to be rejected too, but all I felt was a warm tingling sensation when my palm touched the glowing symbol. Then I was overwhelmed by the most cataclysmic sense of disaster…_

_I must've been out for quite some time, because when I opened my eyes it looked like dusk was quickly approaching. (I can't believe I fainted!) They had me lying on a bedroll! (I thought all the provisions and our bedrolls had remained in the other room forever…) Irvine was resting against the wall by my feet with his eyes closed and _Exeter_ cradled in his arms. I didn't need to take three guesses to know that Seifer had seated himself next to my head because I heard him say, **"So… You're finally awake, Instructor."** At the sound of his voice, Irvine opened his eyes and looked at me. Propelling myself up with the help of my elbows, I quickly raised myself into a sitting position, and stared in the direction of the altar. The pedestal was gone, in its stead there was a swirling reddish cloud. **"It's been like that ever since you touched it, Quisty."** Irvine told me, then he continued by asking me, **"What made you faint?… You gave us quite a fright!"**_

_I was about to answer him, when from the altar's direction a stentorian voice announced, **"The Blue Witch sensed the destruction of the First Seal."** Startled, I would've fallen and probably knocked my head against the stone floor had not Seifer been there to grab me. Then it occurred to me that neither Seifer nor Irvine were surprised!… When Irvine saw my face he just mumbled, **"That cloud thingy spoke to us when you fainted and told us you'd be alright…"** What was that strange looking cloud… And why did it call me _'blue witch'

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_04.06.01 AU_

_We have a new Guardian Force! Although this particular spirit would not allow any of us to junction him, he demanded to be carried by one of us, namely me!… How weird is that? I cannot junction him, but I must act as this spirit's host… How do we know? Because this GF, which calls itself Hephaestus, spoke to us! What I mean is, the GF spoke into our minds… Does this make sense? Hah! And here I thought that after witnessing the bonding of Seifer and Tiamat, I've seen everything! Little did I know! _

_In the end, the reddish cloud swirling above the altar turned out to be a very ancient GF! It bade us approach him. (Like Shiva, this GF is very specific about his gender) Flanked by Irvine on the one side, and by Seifer on the other, the three of us got closer to the altar… Then it spoke in stentorian tones (into our minds?):_

'**_Children of the Dispossessed, ye are the Fated Ones of which the Oracle spoke. Do not tarry ere it be too late! Seek ye the Guardian Force Djinn. Seek ye Ormus Descendants. They who dwell in the city that hath never known light, beneath the Sea of Gold.'_**

_Then the voice directed itself at Seifer and called him _'knight'._ (How did it know? How did **I** know that the voice was addressing Seifer?) _

'_**Knight, thou hast been tainted by the darkness, albeit against thy will. I cannot allow thee to junction me and yet thou art an honourable knight worthy of the title. Know that I shall be by thy firstborn's side. Thou hast already bonded with the most powerful and ancient of my brethren. He, who like thee, hath been tainted and hath been redeemed. The Guardian **_**Tiamat **_**shall be thy ally and help thee protect thy lady and thy own.'** _

_I wonder if Seifer understood Hephaestus's speech… I could barely make sense of what he was saying myself, even though he spoke directly into our minds …the words he used and his syntax were so archaic. In any case, whatever it was that he understood made Seifer somehow stand straighter and prouder. (But then arrogance suits him like a second skin, doesn't it!) And…what did Hephaestus mean about _'thy lady'_ and _'firstborn'_? (This is just too bizarre!)_

_To Irvine, he said, **'Young One, thou art an honourable warrior. Thou and thy kind have freed the accursed spirit Diablos from his eternal slumber, but only thou hast succeeded in making him serve thee and thee only! This be no small feat, for Diablos is indeed a most powerful spirit.'** The GF was not finished with his speech, **'A word of caution. Thou shouldst seek to curb thy philandering ways lest thou bringst grief to thy lady and Diablos finds thee unworthy of his trust!'** _

_Was Hephaestus warning Irv not to be such a flirt because it might upset…Selphie or Diablos! …Did Irvine even get it? I can see by the confused look on his face that he gets parts of it, but not all…_

_And finally to me, **'Blue Witch, the passage of time hath dwindled the power of your lineage but not its bravery. Through thee thy kind shall arise once again, and yet it isn't thy destiny to carry the One."** _

_Huh? I understood all the words separately but couldn't make any heads or tails out of them when strung together…! He went on to say something even weirder! _

'_**Should Shiva, thy most faithful spirit, be kind enough to grant her consent, I would be honoured if I may claim thee to be my host until the time cometh that we shall part and yet become one…"**_

_I could feel Shiva stirring excitedly inside my mind (We were junctioned) signalling her consent. Suddenly, I felt a very gentle tingling as the reddish cloud enveloped me until it disappeared! It all happened within the blink of an eye. Too quickly for anyone to react! My eyes flared open. After Hephaestus took _'residence'_ inside my mind, I somehow seemed to know what was needed to get us out of where we were!_

_I told Seifer and Irvine that there was a hidden switch on the altar which would reveal a hidden door. It was located right where the pedestal used to be. I suppose after the bizarre event we had just experienced, they had no choice but to believe me! I only understood half of the things Hephaestus told Seifer. I think he was the clearest when he _'talked' _to Irvine, but as to what he said to me? …I mostly understood the part where he was asking Shiva's permission to _'room'_ with her…all the rest? I found extremely confusing! What did he mean about _' your lineage'?_ What did he mean about everything else?_

_It was already nightfall, so I suggested that before we embark again into the unknown, we take the opportunity of resting in what I knew to be a fairly safe haven. (Unlike the rest of the other places we've been this room has a very wholesome feel to it…) Looking curiously at our rucksacks and bedrolls I was about to ask them how that happened, when Seifer anticipated my question and answered with a smirk, **"Your new tenant brought them over, Trepe, when you were havin' your little beauty sleep…"** I sighed, but refused to be upset by his words. At least he didn't object to us resting until dawn. He merely nodded in the direction of our bedrolls, and said, **"I'll take first watch. Get some sleep, Instructor."** (Have I ever mention how much I hate it when he calls me that?)_

_Hyne! I slept all the way through to morning! Neither Seifer nor Irvine thought to wake me up! I guess I must've looked pretty drained to them from yesterday… Even as I save these final words into my PD, the sun is shining high up. I can feel the warmth of its rays streaming inside through the openings on the domed ceiling. If my PD's internal clock is functioning correctly, we've spent more than 48 hours on our pitch-dark journey down the stairs, through the long and narrow passageway until we finally reached the room with the glowing glyph circle… _

_My goodness! We started our mission on May 30th, but today is June 4th…so we've been away for more than five days! I know that our provisions are running low and both Seifer and Irvine are tired of eating power bars… However, they both look fine. (I mean their faces are covered by stubble but I could see how some people might find that attractive on them…) As for me, I don't want to think about it, but the name Raggedy Ann comes to mind, because that's how I think I look… I can tell by the way those two are pacing the floor like caged animals that they are raring to go._

_Once again I will be turning my PD off to conserve the battery…_

…

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_05.06.01 AU_

_We used the switch yesterday and a door opened to another room with another glowing glyph circle. With determination Seifer went first, but nothing happened. We tried a little experiment. Irvine went next and again nothing happened. I was about to try myself, when Seifer grabbed my forearm and said firmly, **"We're all going together."**_

_We got teleported into another room, but this one was square and narrow, dimly lit by the light streaming from an extremely tiny window located about 10 feet above our heads. Unlike the other rooms, this one had a visible door made of wood… I tried to shake off Seifer's hand which had latched itself to my elbow. I frowned up at him and was about to tell him what I thought of his constant manhandling, when he covered my mouth with his other hand! That's when I heard the chanting. It was faint, but audible –an eerie sound, quite unsettling… Adrenaline started to pump my system… Finally, we might get some answers here! I looked at Seifer to signal him that I would keep quiet, but he was not looking at me, rather he was looking at something beyond my shoulder. Using both my hands to pry his hand off my mouth, I turned around and saw Irvine crouched near a corner, next to …a girl? His hand was on her neck, checking for a pulse. _

_She had long darkish hair and very pale features, looking as if the all the blood had been drained from her face …I recognized that face! …It was Sasha Tavares! One of the four disappeared. I went to kneel next to Irvine. He looked at me and nodded. I understood. She was alive! Thanks Hyne for that! I quickly rummaged through my utility belt for my ubiquitous X-potion and indicated silently to Irv that I needed him to hold her while I try to pour some down her throat. I touched her forehead and she felt cool to the touch. I didn't think she was poisoned, but I cast Esuna on her anyway… I could see the faint green aura of the healing magic surrounding her, but to no avail… I administered the potion as gently as I could. I tried not to cringe when she spluttered and coughed. For a split second I thought that something or someone would be storming through the door lured by the noise, but it was merely my overworked mind which had amplified the sound to an unimaginable volume. The poor thing was so weak, her faint moaning could barely be heard. (Hah! As if anything could go through that door without being sliced into two by _Hyperion

_Irvine had taken off his duster and wrapped it around the shivering girl. She was still out, but after the X-potion some colour seemed to return to her face… From what I've read in Wembley's profile, she was addicted to BLISS… I quickly checked her pupils. They were so dilated that I could hardly see the irises. This girl was suffering from extreme trauma and needed immediate medical attention! I carefully examined her for any signs of physical abuse, but her skin was intact. There were no visible signs of any abrasions, lacerations or bruises anywhere… She was robed in some kind of free flowing ceremonial garb and was quite naked underneath it. I quickly unfurled my bedroll and had Irvine lift her slightly and lay her on the mattress. It was not much, but at least we had seen to her comfort inasmuch as we could, given the present circumstances. _

_I scanned the place looking for anything that might indicate our present location… All I saw was a small squarish room made of very rough stone, maybe around thirty square feet in size, perhaps a bit less… My first impression of the room was that of it being a large closet, although there were no shelves or anything that would imply that kind of use, but finding the girl here made me realize that we were probably in some kind of a dungeon… Except that we were not locked-in. The door sported a very antiquated looking latch but nothing else to indicate that it was locked from the outside. I looked at Seifer's tall imposing figure lounging lazily against the door and for once was actually glad that he looked so intimidating. His relaxed pose was highly deceptive, if one were to ignore bunched up muscles ready to spring at the slightest provocation, and _Hyperion's_ wicked glint. I could feel his alert eyes following my every move. Irvine, after helping me with the girl, had gone to stand by Seifer,_ Exeter _holstered in its usual place but ready to be drawn at the drop of a pin… _

_Those two didn't have to say anything …I knew we had a problem. We couldn't abandon the poor girl here, but to wait around in this little room was also dangerous. She had been left there, but they probably would be coming back for her. We had no choice, she would have to come with us, which meant either Seifer or Irvine would have to carry her… If we had to fight she would be a hindrance, but not an insurmountable one. Having her simply meant that everything would prove to be more difficult than it already was. Our mission had just become more dangerous …However, I was not so worried about that, as about the symbols that were embroidered on the gown the girl was wearing. I recognized two of the four glyphs that we saw inscribed inside the square of the glowing circle. The symbol on her chest looked like this: __ **"**_**α**_**" **__It had an arrow pointing towards it coming from the direction of her belly, where the other symbol:__**"**_**β**_**"**__was embroidered. I wondered what all of it could mean, but something deep inside me knew that it was not good… That it was related to that horrendous cataclysmic feeling of disaster I sensed when I touched Hephaestus's pedestal. _

_Stifling a sigh, I stood up and went to where Seifer and Irvine were standing three paces away. The faint sounds of the chanting were still ongoing, but I could hear no sounds near the door. I indicated wordlessly to Seifer that I wanted to leave the room and scout the area. He and Irvine were charged with keeping watch over the girl. Instead of moving so I could open the door and leave, Seifer narrowed his eyes at me. Irvine had gone to stand by the girl. I was the most logical choice of the three to go and reconnoitre the area. I was the slightest and could move much more silently than either one of them. I knew Seifer's favourite pastime was to constantly provoke me and question my authority, but this was not the time! Now that we had one of the disappeared, we needed to determine if there were more of them alive! I frowned up at him and waited pointedly for him to move out of my way. _

_To my relief, he scowled but reluctantly unblocked the way. I nodded in Irvine's direction, I could see the worry in his eyes. (Hyne! Does he think I became SeeD by doing fine point embroidery?) As I went to open the door, I felt Seifer's hand abruptly cup my chin and lifted it in his direction. His eyes were full of silent warning. For a split second I felt his grip tighten before he let go. He listened with his ear glued to the door for a moment before he opened the door for me. We seemed to be in a room located at the very end of a long and badly illuminated corridor. There were a series of doors on the left side, and plain wall on the right. I gripped my whip securely in my hand and nodded at Seifer, indicating silently that he should close the door behind me. For a moment I thought he was going to refuse my request, then with another ferocious scowl on his face he complied… (He probably doesn't like being in the periphery of action, but we need to determine our bearings so that we can plot a more efficient course of action)_

_I proceeded cautiously down the passage with the familiar weight of _Save the Queen_ clutched securely in my hand. I glued my ear to the first door and heard nothing. I grabbed the antiquated metal handle and quickly pushed it down shoving the door open in the process. If there was something on the other side, I would have the element of surprise to my advantage –Nothing– The room was similar to ours, perhaps a tad smaller. I left closing the door softly behind me. I repeated this procedure for every single one of the doors, all with the same result. Except for the last one. At this door the passage turned sharply at an angle to the right. I plastered myself to the corner and peeked in the direction of the chanting, the sound was closer but still far. This last door faced a long and dim passage …but I could discern a faint light at the end of it. The source of the chanting._

_The passage seemed empty enough, but I stayed where I was … just in case. I didn't want to risk being seen. From where I stood, I concentrated hard and aimed a very careful low-level thunder spell towards the keyhole located beneath the door-handle… (Thank you Instructor Aki!) Sure enough, without any fuss, the door became unlatched. Taking a deep breath, I rushed the door and into the room! –Nothing– The rusty handle on the other side explained the trouble I had with the door before… I looked around me, this room seemed to be a bit brighter and larger than all the others. They all shared an air of neglect and long disuse, similar to the secret corridors beneath Odin's chambers… I opened the door cautiously again and closed it behind me. Then I glued myself to the dark angles of the long passage and tried to close the distance between myself and the source of the light as quietly and as rapidly as I could. The chanting grew louder. I couldn't understand what was being intoned, but it had a very disquieting effect on me. _

_As I got closer I could see that the passage led into some sort of anteroom which opened to what seemed to be a much larger space. –much much larger space– I took advantage of the darkness to cloak myself as I slipped into the antechamber. On either side of it, there were two huge statues. One resembled… Ifrit? And to my utter surprise the other one looked like Bahamut… (Why?) Flanking the entrance to the main room there were another two equally monumental statues. They were sculptures of two human warriors, noble in bearing and in stature. One held aloft a sword, while the other was holding what looked like some sort of lance. I hid myself behind the pedestal of the sword warrior, which was at least three to four inches above my head. At some other time, the incredibly realistic rendition of ancient warriors would've captivated me, but I must admit that my attention was caught elsewhere…_

_The room was empty of people! Perhaps I've been watching too many bad films with Rinoa and Selphie… I'd half expected to find a roomful of darkly hooded figures chanting that strange hymn, but I found nothing… And yet the chanting… The chanting came from here… as if from …disembodied voices? (Had Seifer and Irv not indicated that they'd heard it as well, I would be doubting my own sanity right now…)_

_The room itself resembled the large main area of the temples people visit to render their respects to Hyne. Except that this was not a wholesome place –this one felt tainted by an almost overpowering malevolence… That unsettling feeling of being watched that had troubled me throughout this entire mission… Somehow emanated from here! And yet, there was nothing physical to which I could point my finger and say, **"That's it!"** It was more in the deep sense of foreboding I felt at the very pit of my stomach. In the clammy feeling I got all over my skin. In the rapid beat of my heart, accelerated by an inexplicable fear and anxiety… _

_The very barrenness of this place made me uneasy. There was a very plain looking altar standing in the smack centre of the room with a very strange chalice resting on its surface. Around the altar, placed –I think– to face each a certain specific location, were four slabs made of the same stone that was used throughout this structure. The faint light came from a series of tiny holes that were located directly above the altar. At the very end of the room there were two huge doors. I hoped with my entire being that one of them would lead us outside._

_The intensity of the disembodied chanting had escalated. An incredible sense of urgency took a hold of me. Even when I knew there was no one there to see me, I hid myself in the shadows of the wall and swiftly went to get the others. _

_The return was not as scot-free as the going. As I made to turn the corner towards the passageway that would lead me back to my team, I was ambushed by two Forbidden. I quickly dispatched them with_ Save the Queen _and a couple of well placed Firagas, but not before one of them took a swipe at me with their sharp sword. I must admit that I was feeling a bit sluggish and those damned monsters were fast! I quickly cast a healing spell on myself when I was ambushed again by another pair of Forbidden! Where in Hyne's name did they spring from? I cracked my whip at one while I cast Fira on the other. To my horror the doors to the seemingly empty rooms opened, and more Forbidden poured out of them! _

_My first instinct was to shout for Seifer and Irvine, stationed just a few doors away, but I quickly controlled myself. Grinding my teeth together, I finished off the two Forbidden before me. _

_It must've been the sudden change of air behind me –I'm not sure– but I plastered my back to the right wall and not a moment too soon! The Forbidden that had crept behind my back would've probably cut me in half, otherwise… Out of pure reflex, I raised my hand and cast Holy at it, which pushed the monster back. I was about to lash it with my whip, when I heard a gunshot and I saw the thing fall. I quickly whirled around and saw that Seifer and Irvine were out and swiftly eliminating the rest of the Forbidden in the passage. One more had made its way to me and I pushed it back with a volley of Fire spells, then Seifer came behind it and sliced it neatly in two with _Hyperion

_After the skirmish, I was left panting slightly. I placed a hand on the wall to support my weight, I was unaware at the time that my sleeve was torn and stained with blood. My blood. My head was reeling and I was starting to feel a bit nauseous… I tried to focus my eyes on Seifer who was swiftly approaching me. I didn't need 20/20 vision to know that he was furious…_

_Without saying a word he scooped me up and carried me back to the little room. Instead of protesting (As I might normally), I rested my weary head on his warm chest and closed my eyes._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_07.06.01 AU_

…

…Warning: Low Battery!_…_

…

_I guess I must've fainted yesterday and forgot to turn this thing off... Keeping a journal in this situation is quite draining… but I don't want to forget anything… _

_I see that we've changed rooms. We're in the room I had to unlock with a thunder spell… _

_That girl Sasha is resting beside me. Her natural skin colour seemed to have returned. I see Irv's standing guard before me. No sign of Seifer. (Where's he?) I grab Irv's pants to get his attention._

_Energy very low…_

_I tried to explain to Irv as best I could what I saw yesterday. I also instructed him to leave me here and insure the safe delivery of the girl into Garden's care. –Basic SeeD tenet– I knew she would have the answers to many of our questions._

_Too tired to write much …but need to …want to keep journal going… _

_I think I've been poisoned… Esuna doesn't seem to be working… _

_Those Forbidden were different from the ones we know… Unusual poison…_

_Entrusted my PD to Irv. Research notes are there. Helpful._

_Tired…_

…

…

…

… 'Entering battery conservation mode' _…_

…

§ § §

To be continued…


	23. Nine Days, Part I

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 22:** Nine Days, Part I**

§_Wembley's Budget Guide to Dollet, Timber and Galbadia_  
§_Timber Maniacs Travel Series, 23AU Edition_  
§**_The Dukedom of Dollet_**

Situated on the northernmost tip of the Galbadian Continent, and separated from its more bellicose neighbour to the south by the _Montersou Plateau_, the **Duchy of Dollet **(pop. 89,750 inhabitants) sparkles like a perfect jewel ensconced between rocky mountains and the _Sea of Balamb_. The _House of Ferrara D'Este_ has ruled this tiny country in direct descent for many centuries surviving continuous attacks from its more ambitious neighbours. Nowadays, Dollet is the preferred playground of the rich and the famous, and it's invaded usually by well-heeled tourists seeking the three things for which Dollet is known: Sun, Fun and Celebrity spotting.

Do not let the frivolous face that Dollet presents to the world fool you, this tiny country is home to a state of the art telecommunications facility, **_Elvoret SysComm_** –second only to that of Esthar–, and the **_Dollet Stock Exchange_** (DSE) –one of the oldest and largest stock exchanges in the world– .

Dollet has two distinct regions, the mainland and the group of isles. The mainland consists of three towns all located very closely together. _Dollet-Ville_, the old town and former fortress, stands on a rocky point 350 feet high. It is dominated by the ducal palace. Located a mere 10 minutes by glider-car from the old-town, _Lapin Riviera_ has the famous gambling casino, the opera house and the grand theatre. The town of _Hasberry_, located a mere 35 minutes away west of _Dollet-Ville_, is a portal town that runs a ferry service connecting the duchy with its neighbour to the south, Galbadia. It also runs a local ferry service to _Long Horn Island_. (For information on **_Parc d'Attractions Foret d'Hasberry_** go to 'Excursions That Will Bankrupt The Budget Traveller' section of this guide)

_Long Horn Island_ is the largest of the group of isles that are under Dollet's jurisdiction. The town of _Lavallee_ is the urban centre of the island and the duchy's second largest city. Many foreign companies have headquarters in _Lavallee_ to take advantage of Dollet's low tax rates. Dollet's banks and financial service companies cater to these businesses and to the country's many wealthy residents.

The country has a mild climate all around, with an average January temperature of 50°F. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 90 °F. On the average, rain falls only 42 days a year!

–––––

§**_What To Do In Dollet:_**

On the subject of **_money_**: If you don't have any to spare, skip Dollet altogether.

**Warning**: The following three steps are **_strictly_** for the hardcore budget traveller who is hell-bent on celebrity spotting:

**1.** Hop off the train, and _walk _to the beautiful old centre of _Dollet-Ville_ (45-50 minutes). If you have 150 gil to blow away on public transport by all means take the bus, it'll get you to the old _Centreville_ in less than 30 minutes!

**2. **Once there, follow the signs to the famous _Lapin Riviera_, but be warned to bring a packed lunch or snack! An espresso (Which is extremely good!) on one of those fancy sidewalk cafés that dot the famous _Boulevard de Sages _will blow you anywhere from 50 to 70 gil! But what a nice way to sit down and watch the show! (Before you get kicked out by the snooty waiter, that is!).

**3.** After you have **seen** as much as you can…Go right back to the train station, hop on the next train and leave. It's a well known fact amongst the more seasoned budget travellers that a day in Dollet will bankrupt your wallet…

–––––

§**Free Attractions:**

Take a quick stroll around, the view is breathtaking! Fortunately looking at things is still free around Dollet!

The following are worth a look:

The **_Ducal Palace_** and present residence of the _Ferrara D'Este_ family. On certain dates, the gardens are open free to the public. They are a great place for a picnic! If you're lucky enough, you might even catch a glimpse of Lady Alessa, heiress to the duchy and the uncontested sweetheart of the people of Dollet! Check for the dates with the _Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Dollet_, located near the famous **_Fontaine des Fleuves_** in the old town's centre. If you came into town by bus, it drops you off right by the fountain.

**_Dollet Opera House_**, built almost three centuries ago during Dollet's _Restoration_ period, this huge edifice is an splendid example of that era's classical revival. The entrance fee to selected parts of the building is free, but if you wish to join one of the conducted tours they will set you back a whopping 90 gil! (Worth it! They give you a tour of the _entire _building)

**_Grand Casino of Dollet_**, located right in the heart of the _Lapin Riviera_ this is the place where the rich and famous might become slightly less rich. Unfortunately, unless you belong to that gilded set, you can only peek at this magnificent structure from outside the iron wrought gates.

The **_Dollet Stock Exchange_** is the place that houses and manufactures most of Dollet's wealth. The imposing façade of the DSE building hails back to Dollet's imperial past, and it's a prime example of that period. Take the free tour! (Yep! It's FREE!)

–––––

§**Factoids: **

1. _Boulevard de Sages_ is called by locals _Boulevard du Paparazzi_ for obvious reasons.

2. Most tabloids keep a local office in Dollet, located mainly in _Hasberry_ as rent is much cheaper there than in _Dolletia-Ville_.

3. Dollet hosts the annual **_Ducal Chocobo-Polo_** **_Open Tournament_**, and boasts the best outdoor chocobo-polo playing field in the world.

4. Chocobo-Polo is the sport of the rich Dolletians, but the average citizen here is an avid airball fan! The home team is called the _Dollet Glories_, and its players boasts the highest salaries of the entire airball league! (They need it to live here!)

5. The **_Dollet Airball Hovering Stadium_** is one of a kind! Built by Estharian engineering three years ago, it's the coolest looking vessel of its kind! Admission tickets to a game are a whopping 500 gil! But worth every bit of its fee if you can afford it!

§ § §

_Day 1 (22.04.23 AU) – Arrival_

Ahnyang stepped away from the balcony, where she had been scanning the surrounding area, and stared at the beautifully appointed hotel room, **_'I feel like in some kind of damned palatial suite…'_** She saw Mole's busy fingers flying noiselessly over the holographic keyboard systematically accessing the information she had requested. She had to admit that outfitting a wheelchair as an operations centre had been a stroke of genius. Mole had been ecstatic when he had taken a look at all the modifications.

The wheelchair looked pretty plain and ordinary until it's hidden features were activated via voice command. It had been an incredible sight to see everything unfold, the three translucent screens –one located directly in front of the seat and the other two on the sides…the holographic keyboard that formed across Mole's lap… In no time whatsoever they had become the best of friends. **_'I'm sure our squad leader has won Mole's everlasting admiration and servitude with that little contraption…'_**

As per Almasy's orders, she had jabbed Mole and herself with the bio-nanobot tracking device. As a result, they could now see their own distinctive signals displayed on the map in the left screen. Even as she moved, she could see the tiny dot which displayed her initials AH moving towards the MT dot. She knew that Teams B and C would be arriving tomorrow, **_'Wow! Seven top-notch SeeD operatives _and_ Code "A"…This is BIG!' _**The most remarkable aspect of the bio-nanobot device was that it had a built-in time limit, the genetically engineered organism would die after exactly nine days, not leaving a trace…

'**_Esthar Garden's advances in the field of bio-nanotechnology are really amazing… Trust Almasy to take full advantage of it! He's definitely not just another pretty face…'_** Ahnyang smirked at her own understatement, she'd truly been boggled by his mesmerizing good looks, but felt quite proud of herself by not showing it and by being able to pull herself together quickly. She stared at Mole fondly, he was the closest she would ever get to a younger sibling. She knew that poor Mole had been overwhelmed by Almasy's presence, she had seen it by the way he had sunk his head into his shoulders as if trying to hide himself… The poor kid **was** a bit of an eccentric, but then so was she… **_–Humph–_** hadn't it been for Sylvie and Meijin who'd become her friends from day one, she'd be a pretty lonely person herself.

She could still remember when she'd first met Mole, she'd thought he was only around 10 or 11 years old, he was such a scrawny little thing with an unruly mop of dark brown hair. **_'Yeah, well…still is scrawny…just a taller version'_** He'd been cowing in a corner, eyes fixed on his feet, surrounded by some jeering kids who were making fun of him…

…

"_You're weeeird…!"_

"… _They say you were found in a smelly dump!"_

"_You look like…like…a MOLE! Small and ugly!"_

_She'd been on her way to meet Sylvie when she heard them, and had thought to herself… _**'Geez! Why are kids so foul with each other?'**_ and had decided to break their nasty little name-calling. There'd been five of them, three boys and two girls._

"_It seems to me you guys have way too much free time…" _

"_Hey! I **know** _you!_" One of the boys said, a big hulking fellow._

_She ignored the interruption, "Scram, kids! Or I'll have to report you to the Disciplinary Committee…"_

"_You're that chick from that weirdo Shumi…" The big hulking boy continued. _

"_That's _**SeeD Cadet**_ Hideyoshi to you, kid! And you have until the count of three to get out of here or you'll be facing a full day detention** plus** the undivided attention of Commander Tilmitt… Last time_**I read**_ the SeeD regulation book bullying is punishable with expulsion."_

"_Hey! You can't do that to us!..."_

"_One…"_

"_D'you know who our parents…"_

"_Let's go!"_

"_Two…"_

"…_I'll get you for this!"_

"_SHUT-UP! LET'S GO!"_

"_Three." They were gone, but she had committed their faces to memory –Just in case… She bent and placed a gentle hand on the cowing boy's skinny shoulder._

"_Hey!" She said softly, "They're gone. They won't be bothering you again…"_

_A pair of very large myopic brown eyes stared up at her, "They took my glasses…" _

"_It's okay, I'm sure they'll outfit you with another pair at the infirmary." She smiled at him and said, "Here! Let me take you there!"_

"_Uh…Okay."_

_They started walking towards Dr. Zohar's office. Ahnyang stared at him curiously._

"_My name's Ahnyang, what's yours, kid?"_

"_Err…Mitchell Tomaguchi…but," Suddenly the kid drew himself up and announced, "…but …from today onwards I'll call myself MOLE… I know they meant it as an insult but I've always liked Moles! The mole has always been my favourite animal!"_

…

From that day on, Mole attached himself to her, following her everywhere she went –much to Sylvie's and Meijin's amusement. When she decided to take him under her wing –protection– she hadn't known that the kid she'd adopted was also Masters Lank's and Port's star student. When she'd transferred to B-Garden she's made a special request to have him as her tech support, that way she'd felt she was not abandoning the kid.

Ahnyang knew why Mole had been included in the mission, **_'Almasy must've accessed his tech profile. The kid may only be Rank 5, but there's no one in the entire Garden organization that outranks Mole in the techie department…"_** She corrected herself,**_ 'Well, maybe except for Masters Port and Lank …'_ **However, although she'd known that Almasy had chosen Mole to come on this mission, she'd tensed-up at the briefing room. She had expected him to make a nasty comment about Mole's unkempt appearance –most of the higher ranking SeeDs did _and_ dismissed him as just another geek, never bothering to actually read his profile–. She'd been pleasantly surprised when all Almasy did was to ask Mole diplomatically not to use his goggles during the mission. **She**had caught the wry undertones of his voice, but he'd not been unkind to the kid… **_'After all, thanks to Almasy, Mole's very first mission is a top level one!' _**As far as she knew, NO rookie SeeD had ever had this on their record! She darted the young man hunkered down over his work a fond look.

"Mole," she called out, "I'm going for a stroll."

"…Sure thing, Big sis…" was Mole's faint reply, the lenses in his glasses reflecting the light emitted by the data scrolling rapidly down the screens as he read the code.

Ahnyang smiled, Mole was immersed in his own world and was known to forget even about food, **_'I'll order us some dinner when I return.'_** As she walked out of the massive arched doorway framed by the two heavy and elaborately carved bronze doors which marked the entrance to their hotel, she took a careful look around the area. _Hotel Valendia_ was located on _Rue du Cambrioleur_, one of the busiest streets in Dollet City's oldest and most established residential and commercial quarters. Certainly a very centric location for their purposes, close to the Ducal Palace and Giambattista's place of residence.

She frowned a bit, why did they have to shadow the Duchess's main suitor if they had been hired to protect the Duchess? She truly disliked Code "A" ops, she always felt like she never had enough information to act properly. Pushing her misgivings to the backburner, she concentrated on making a visual surveillance of the perimeter. She found that getting a better sensorial perception of the place always accomplished more than just looking at a plain onscreen 3-D map.

Spotting a very nice looking café by the corner, she sat down on the first empty spot she could find and ordered an espresso from a snooty waiter who stared at her plain t-shirt and jeans with supercilious eyes. The place was overflowing with very well dressed customers. _**'Syl would've love being here… I wonder if Meijin will have a similar room?'** _Ahnyang thought inconsequentially, Meijin was with Team C.

The street where her hotel was located intersected one of Dollet's most fashionable strips, the _Boulevard de la Vertu_. **_'That's certainly the greatest misnomer, ever!'_** It boasted the fussy storefronts of many well known couturiers and the usual requisite of very expensive luxury boutiques. A couple of streets over was the famous _Rue des Pommiers_. **_'Another misnomer for which Dollet is so famous…'_** Perhaps sometime in the past, apple trees might have lined up the street, but no one could ever mistake the magnificent palatial residences that lined the street as anything remotely close to a farm…

Staring pensively at the imposing façade of number _41, Rue des __Pommiers_, Ahnyang realized that Giambattista's choice of residence was probably more due to parental control than to personal taste. From her files she'd read that their subject's father was no other than the powerful Count of Lavallee. The edifice impressive exterior was echoed in its equally impressive security system. They were state of the art. It'd taken Mole at all of five minutes to hack inside! That alone had been enough to impress her…

Ahnyang took a sip of her foamy espresso and sighed closing her eyes. **_ –Aah– _**Delicious. **_'It better be at 65 gil a pop!' _**She opened her eyes and watched the people go by. They were as expensively dressed as the crowd inside the café. She noted that apart from a very obvious few, the people circulating around this quarter were dressed rather conservatively, and took a rueful look at her own nondescript attire, **_'Will definitely have to do something about this if I want to blend in…'_** She did note that people who dressed as casually as she was, did so in some very expensive designer togs, **_'Ha! Michel Maier jeans …I don't think so…!'_** Her friends Sylvie and Meijin were crazy about stuff like that, but she'd always thought that to buy jeans costing almost what she made in a week was a supreme act of foolhardiness.

She would have to include that small detail in her report to Almasy. **_'Things like what people wear and how they wear it can screw-up an ops if not enough attention is paid to it…'_** Then smirked, **_'Funny that Almasy didn't…'_** Her eyes flew open, **_'Aw, damn!'_** They were each outfitted with a large suitcase which they hadn't come around to opening yet… She was about to return to the hotel to do just that, when a familiar figure caught her eye. Her subject was exiting the premise of a very exclusive florist across the street and he was by himself. Without hesitation he walked hurriedly in a direction opposite his house. Ahnyang dropped enough gils to cover her bill and swiftly went to follow Vicente Giambattista.

§ § §

_Day 2 – The Dollet Team_

The rest of the squad arrived to their designated locations. Team B: SeeDs Karl Adams and, one of the snipers, Shlomith Mertens, had lived in Dollet before so they had been assigned to shadow their subject. Their primary task was to insure the safety of their subject and to alert Almasy of any change in Giambattista's daily routine. Their cover was to pose as a young couple who wanted to spend their honeymoon celebrating the Duchess's majority, which was plausible enough since the beautiful and unmarried Duchess was considered by many to be an incredibly romantic subject.

They were staying at _Le Grand Trianon_, one of the most impressive hotels in Dollet and conveniently situated in front of the subject's home. When they arrived at the hotel lobby, Karl had to give Shlomith a quick nudge because she was gaping at the sheer opulence of the place. Karl's mother was an Estharian socialite, so he was not only used to this sort of thing, but had even stayed at the_ Trianon _before. Their set of rooms had a nice view of Giambattista's front window, which now had a powerful lens discreetly trained on it and was constantly being monitored by Mole on one of his screens. The lens was equipped with a very powerful microphone which also transmitted its data directly into Mole's terminal.

Team C: Meijin Kumo, Jamilla Kessler and Ngugi Thiong'o had arrived together. Jamilla and Ngugi were the other two snipers in the team. Apart from being incredibly proficient SeeDs, they were the acknowledged party animals of B-Garden. Since their surveillance subject seemed to be extremely fond of clubbing, Almasy wanted his people to move in that world with the ease of fish in water. Their hotel, _Le __Sancerre_, was located in the entertainment district of Dollet city, and was an extremely popular destination for the young and affluent set. The main advantage of the hotel was it's location, conveniently in front of their subject's favourite club, the _X-ATM092!_ Rumour had it the club was run and operated by two ex-Galbadian officers who'd discharged themselves from the G-army during the Second Sorceress War and sought refuge in Dollet.

Once she settled in her room, Meijin took the time to admire her surroundings,**_ 'Tooo bad I'm on a mission, this pad is way too cool!'_** She made a face, **_'And Gabe's like a machine when he's on a mission… Geez! Someone who looks that hot should act hot too…'_** Then she started thinking on how Gabriel would be if he were to make an effort to charm his way around the way Xander did, and started to fan herself, **_'Phew! Okay, okay…so just as well he's the way he is!'_** But as she recalled, when she saw him yesterday for a brief meet, he was not being his usual calm and collected self. Instead he was fuming and taking someone to task over the communicator… She was sure that had the others been present, Gabe would've controlled himself, but they had grown up together … She knew him as well as she knew her own brother Rei, so he saw no reason in trying to contain his anger in front of her. She kinda felt sorry for the person at the receiving end…

…

"_It was NOT your assigned duty to follow the subject all the way to the _Via Rosa_!"_

_Meijin's ears perked up when she heard the name of Dollet's notorious red light district mentioned. It was supposed to cater to every orientation, desire, need, etc… and boasted the most proficient and highly trained professionals in the field of sexual desire and pleasuring… WOW, she wondered who went there…! _

"_I expect my orders to be followed to the _**letter**_!" _**–Brr!–**_ Gabe's voice could sound sooo cold! "Once you had_**visual**_ confirmation that he entered the premises of _Pompadour_ you should've left and reported his new whereabouts to me! … … … I don't fucking care what reasons you might have, he could've seen you! … … … … … Don't bank on it, Hideyoshi! From Giambattista's records he doesn't seem to hold maids in very high regard!"_

_Oops! She should've known it was Ahn he was taking to task! …Geez, she was almost as stubborn as Gabe and liked to take her own initiative on things…but Gabe was not the type to appreciate that…_

"…_fucking stay in your room and start producing those field analyses! I expect them on my desk NO later than this…"_

_Meijin heard Gabriel's PDD beep and heard him swear…she tried to stifle a giggle, yep, one could say many things 'bout good old Ahn, but she was one efficient machine… She wouldn't be surprise if the data flashing on Gabe's device _was_ the perimeter analysis he'd wanted…_

Knock! Knock!

"Come in!"

"Hey, Mei! Wanna join Nugi and myself for a quick look 'round the area?" Before Meijin could utter a reply, Jamilla said with a dreamy smile, "Boss Hottie's orders…"

Meijin smirked, if Gabe ever found out the nickname he'd been given by the some of the people under his command… Then shrugged, whatever nametag they gave him, they were an extremely loyal lot and would follow him anytime to anyplace without question.

"Sure, Jam! I've been here before, ya know? And I know lots of good places! …Let's go Paah-Tay!"

§ § §

_Day 3 – Gabriel and Lady Alessa_

Nicholas St. Bernard had been the Duke's chief majordomo for many decades having inherited the position from his father before him, and he had never witnessed His Excellency going out of his way to greet anyone, let alone a young person, in the way he greeted one Gabriel Almasy, here to represent the powerful Esthar-Balamb Garden Organization. He acknowledged that the young man did cut a regal figure, he stood tall and straight and what's more, although Almasy gave the Duke his due respect as Head of State, there was nothing subservient in the young man's manner. His gaze was direct from that of equal given to another equal. The majordomo cleared his throat discreetly as he saw a member of his household staff stop dead in their tracks to ogle the young man. If he didn't put a stop to it now, they would all be piling up behind doors! He noticed a twinkle in His Excellency's eye and almost snorted out loud. Nothing escaped that old codger's observant gaze!

Gabriel's sharp blue eyes scanned the opulent room, the official story would be that since he was a top-notch SeeD _and_ a guest a the ball, he'd graciously agreed to serve as the Duchess's bodyguard. This way, he could keep an eye on Giambattista, who was to be designated the Duchess's official escort. He turned when he heard the double doors open.

"Grandfather! You … called … …for …me?"

Her Royal Highness, otherwise known as Lady Alessa, had stopped dead on her tracks when she caught sight of Almasy, but had recovered sufficiently to finish her sentence.

The Duke observed his granddaughter with satisfaction. He hadn't expected any less from Quistis Trepe's son. The boy's impact on the senses was similar to his mother's, and paired with his father's powerful physique, he had no doubt that the youngster would wean Alessa of her fixation on that young good-for-nothing Giambattista. He noticed that as usual that young man was hot on Alessa's tracks and was giving Gabriel a barely disguised hostile look. He reached out and took his granddaughter's hand guiding her to the newcomer.

"My dear, I would like to meet the son of a lady who's very close to my heart, Quistis Trepe's son, Gabriel Almasy."

"Your Highness. I'm at your service."

Gabriel bowed formally and studied with cool detachment the beautiful girl standing before him. An unbidden image of Hideyoshi's delicate features flashed through his mind, annoyed he pushed it away and observed the Duchess's perfect features: large hazel eyes, lush pouty lips and long curly brown hair. He wondered clinically how many skulls he would have to crack as this chick's bodyguard. She was like a full colour painting to Hideyoshi's soft pencilled looks… thoroughly irritated with himself at the unexpected comparison, Gabriel swung his gaze to the lady's suitor, who was sulking in the background.

"This is Vicente Giambattista, a family friend." The Duke continued with the introductions.

"And the Lady Alessa's **most** ardent admirer…" Vicente added as he extended with reluctance a hand to Gabriel.

Gabriel shook the proffered hand and said politely, "Pleased to meet you." He observed that Giambattista was slender of build, a few inches shorter than himself, with dark hair and dark eyes. **_'I wonder how Meijin managed to plant the nanobot tracking device in this guy…' _** He grimaced mentally in spite of himself, **_'Yeah… Maybe I don't wanna know Mei's methods …'_**

"Vicente! Why must you always exaggerate?" Alessa exclaimed right below Gabriel's ears, interrupting his line of thinking, then she looped her hands possessively around him and said, "You must have lunch with us! I insist. Don't you think so, grandfather?" She directed pleading eyes at the man who had raised her from the cradle.

"Certainly! I have already indicated to Nicholas that Gabriel is to be our guest during his stay here, and a set of rooms have already been prepared for him on the Eastern Wing."

If Gabriel was surprised at the unexpected turn of events, he didn't show it, "I'm very grateful for your hospitality, Your Excellency!" He bowed formally to the Duke.

The Duke smiled at how elegantly the boy accomplished the formality even while having his granddaughter practically hanging from his arm, "Nonsense, my dear boy! As President of Dollet's Trepie Club it's my pleasure to welcome her son!" Surprised, Gabriel's azure eyes widened a fraction. The Duke chuckled, he'd finally succeeded in making the boy lose some of his impressive composure, "Eh! What! Your mother didn't tell you, boy?"

"Yes!" Alessa suppressed a giggle and stared up at Gabriel's beautiful face trying very hard not to drool, "Grandfather always sends out a large bouquet of pink roses and a box of delicious Shumi chocolates every fourth of October!"

"Your grandfather is too kind, Your Highness." Gabriel remarked and smiled boyishly, "As children, they were the only sweets mother would allow my sister and I to have, and yes, mother is very partial to Shumi chocolates." He declined to say that they were the** _only_** gifts that his father had allowed into the household from the mountains of gifts his mother received every year on her birthday.

"Ah! As I recall, dark Shumi chocolates are your favourite, Lady Alessa!" Said Vicente Giambattista, Count of Hasberry, determined to make his presence known. Who was this …this upstart **_untitled_** person, anyway? Annoyed at being ignored and peeved because His Excellency has never **_ever_** sent anything to his own mother, whom he knew at some point had even been considered suitable to wed the Duke's own son and heir! What was it about the Ferrara D'Este line who ignored their own lofty aristocratic origins and chose commoners! The Lady Alessa's own mother had been nothing more than a Trabian actress from Grandidi City for Hyne's sake!

"Yes, and you are so sweet to always remember to bring me some, Vicente!" Alessa acknowledged, but she didn't relinquish her hold on Gabriel's arm. "Come now, Gabriel!" She looked up and smiled at him impishly, "I can call you that, no? And please call me Alessa! 'Your Highness' sounds sooo _high_!" She giggled at her own joke.

Gabriel inclined his head slightly, "As you wish…Alessa." **_'Fucking great, now I have two people to babysit! Better communicate this new development to the Commander.'_**

"Vicente, come! I have a proposition for you…" The Duke said, but to Vicente it sounded more like an order…

§

That night before dinner, in his palatial bedroom, Gabriel read the all the reports Hideyoshi had sent him, but he paid special attention to Giambattista's.

–––––

INTELLIGENCE REPORT created by SeeD Ahnyang Hideyoshi – Rank 23  
SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: Vicente Giambattista

:Tracking device successfully planted on subject as of 24.04.23AU–01:37:03

The following information has been pieced together by cross-indexing household and work activity logs with Giambattista's own personal logs as well as all banking transactions linked to his name. Information that we have been unable to verify is noted as such.

:Visual confirmation from Team B available only as of 23.04.23AU–13:50:55  
:Visual confirmation from Team C available only as of 23.04.23AU–18:49:13

07:00 – 30 minute run with personal live-in trainer, Tyler Wallace, around private track on _41 du Pommier_'s bullet proof covered rooftop. Background check on personal trainer returned negative. Personal trainer assigned by the Count of Lavallee.  
:Probability of trainer acting as Giambattista's bodyguard: 87.78 percent.

08:30 – Breakfast with live-in secretary, Lalisse Evans. Rumours from household staff proclaim Evans to be subject's mistress. Rumour confirmed by Team B surveillance. Background checks confirms Evans to be an ex-SeeD from G-Garden. She was contracted three years ago into Lavallee's employ to act as Giambattista's bodyguard in the guise of his secretary.

10:00 – On weekdays, Giambattista drops by the corporate headquarters of the Lavallee Group, located on _107 __Rue du Secours_. Giambattista holds an executive position in his father's organization –Intelligence has determined that the job is mostly run by the subject's assistant, Etienne Ménard, an old family retainer. Giambattista work for the organization consists mainly of attending the various social events or functions requiring the presence of a high company executive. The Lavallee HQ has state of the art security. subject rides to work on a chauffeur driven armoured vehicle provided by his father's company. Giambattista chauffeur, Guy LaRoche, is a confirmed bodyguard hired by the Lavallee seven years ago.

Deviation from this routine: Subject has been known to skip work if the Duchess calls him to attend her during weekdays. However this is a very rare occurrence.

12:00 – Subject has lunch at _Le Petit Bistro_ across the street, usually walks there accompanied by Evans.  
:Probability of a successful hit by sniper: 97.88 percent  
(Assessment confirmed by SeeDs Kessler, Mertens and Thiong'o)

13:00 to 13:30 – Giambattista returns to the office. Records of all office personnel in contact with subject have been verified and returned negative. All newly hired employees in the past six months do not have access to Giambattista's floor. Their background checks have all been returned negative, with one notable exception: **_Jacques Lafourrier_**. :Access subscreen-A for more information on Lafourrier  
:Access subscreen-B for complete listing of office personnel and background checks

15:00 – Subject leaves work to go to a very exclusive gym on same armoured vehicle. He's accompanied always by Ms. Evans. Facility's staff and client database accessed. A background check of staff and clientele returned negative. Giambattista's personal live-in trainer is an ex-staff member of this gym.  
:Access subscreen for complete listing of facility's staff and clientele

Deviation from this routine: Might meet with friends, go shopping on _Rue de la Vertu_, go to a place called _Maison du Plaisir Pompadour _located at the _Via Rosa_, or all of them together.

Unpredictable pattern: on 22.04.23AU:17:21, Surveillance spotted Giambattista walking to _Pompadour_ after leaving on foot the premise of a very well-known florist, _Jardins de__Cecile_. Store logs show that Giambattista ordered a large bouquet of flowers there to be delivered to the Duchess everyday until her Majority Ball. (Flower shop is a good spot for a sniper to get a very clear shot of subject)

_Note_: Subject broke with his usual pattern when he went to _Pompadour_ on foot. He usually gets there by car. _Pompadour_ is a very exclusive establishment, its highly trained licensed professionals service an impressive array of clientele that range from heads of state to very well-known celebrities. They are impregnable and possess the most impressive security to protect the privacy of their clients.

16:20 to 16:45 – If subject goes to the gym, he usually heads home at around this time on the same armoured vehicle.

21:45 – Subject usually heads for a drink to his favourite club _X-ATM092!_ Rumour has it that when he goes by himself he usually returns home with a one-night stand. Other times, he escorts the Duchess to the premises. The Lady Alessa seems to be very fond of _Club X-ATM092!_. The only time he skips the club is when he's at _Pompadour _where he stays the night and is picked up in the morning by his chauffeur.

_Note_: If the assassination date of the subject were to be moved-up, the club is the most probable location to maximize the publicity and the chaos of a high profile assassination. The noise and the amount of people present would serve as an excellent cover-up for the would-be-assassin. Snipers are not to be ruled out, but sharp short blades would be the most probable weapon of choice, being silent, swift and most effective.  
:Probability of an attempt: 92.78 percent

ASSESSMENT: The subject is quite well protected by his retainers (secretary, trainer, chauffeur). Apart from the spots highlighted on this report, the most likely opportunity for a successful assassination attempt would be when subject goes to and fro a place. The most likely method of assassination will be by sniper, because subject is well protected by bodyguards.

–––––

Gabriel stared pensively at his screen, **_'I think I should have another talk with His Excellency …I wonder why Uncle Squall did not show any surprise when I informed him about the slight change of plans…?'_** For some unexplained reason, he felt uneasy about the whole situation, **_'Something's going on here beyond politics…but I can't seem to place my finger on its pulse…'_** He could feel Hephaestus stirring in his consciousness, **_'Yeah, so…You're edgy too… Shit! This is bad…"_** It was a heavily guarded fact only known to the 'Orphanage Gang' and Matron: Gabriel had been born with his Guardian Force, or perhaps it would be closer to the truth to say that Hephaestus had chosen Gabriel at the point of birth.

§ § §

_Day 4 – Lifestyles of the Rich and Spoiled_

After dropping Alessa off for a fitting at her favourite couturier, Gabriel decided to hop across the street to the _Hotel Valendia_ and meet Team A. Meijin and Jamilla were seated at the elegant restaurant facing _Jean Basquiat Couture_ nibbling an assortment of expensive culinary wonders –courtesy of His Excellency– while keeping an eye on the Duchess. He could still hear Meijin's happy squeal ringing in his ear as she'd told him enthusiastically over the comm, "Hey Gabe, I luuuve this mission!" **_'Yeah… I suppose she would, all she's done so far is go shopping, go clubbing and flirt…' _**He was about to knock on the hotel room door when it was suddenly flung open, finding him with his fist on midair.

"Please enter." Ahnyang greeted her squad leader with her usual stoic demeanour.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and swiftly entered the room, "I see that the tracking devices are working one hundred percent."

"Yes, sir!" Mole replied enthusiastically from his wheelchair/ops-centre, "The system identified you as GA and emitted a warning sign that you were closing in on us! SeeDs Kumo and Kessler are still in position, and the Duchess is still in the fitting room."

Planting a nanobot on Alessa had been very easy, this morning during breakfast the Duke had bade her to stand still and Gabriel had quickly given her a jab behind the ear. His Excellency had been very impressed with E-Garden's technological advances, and Gabriel could tell by the gleam in the Duke's eye that they would be trying to imitate the device, **_'Too bad I neglected to tell His Excellency that the nanobot is organic and will be flushed by her system after the Majority Ball…'_** He directed his attention to Mole.

"Very good, Mole, thanks." He remarked casually, and dropped a small device that looked like a pin on Mole's lap. "See if you can insure that this image scrambler will not interfere with my tracking device as well as my comm unit."

"Sure thing, sir!"

"You can call me Gabriel, Mole."

"Yes, sir!" Mole answered his leader earnestly.

Ahnyang smirked slightly at the exchange, and wordlessly handed Gabriel a portable screen with Giambattista's latest signal. She tried desperately not to think about how hot he looked in his casual yet elegant attire, **_'I suppose that snooty café waiter would be fawning all over Almasy, while the rest of the clientele drools.'_** She tried to suppress a smile at her own thoughts. Gabriel accepted the thin tablet and caught the amusement in her eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he looked her over, frowning in the process, deep blue eyes straying to her chest. Reacting unintentionally to his gaze, Ahnyang blushed and looked up at his scowling face.

"I'm wearing what was supplied in the suitcase we were given." She said on the defensive, **_'Geez! The man's hot even when frowning!'_**

He though in disgruntlement that she was supposed to blend-in with the local population, not stand-out, **_'This is the last time I'm asking Mei to take charge of clothing detail! Hideyoshi's coming out of the fucking garment!'_** Irritated with himself and where his unbidden thoughts were taking him, Gabriel quickly took his gaze off Ahnyang's chest, and proceeded to scan through the reports:

–––––

SUBJECT: Vicente Giambattista

CURRENT TIME: 25.04.23AU–13:40:29

CURRENT LOCATION: 7th Floor, Main meeting room, Lavallee HQ.

:Touch subscreen to access 3-D plan of building.  
:Subject's position indicated by a blue star  
:Audiovisual information from building's surveillance equipment accessed upon request.

–––––

Gabriel looked up from the screen tablet and ordered, "Let's have a visual of Giambattista, block audio." Quickly, Mole sent the image to Gabriel's tablet. Sure enough, there was Giambattista looking very bored as other board members discussed something with a very important looking man that was obviously his father, the Count of Lavallee. Gabriel asked, "Mole, can you pan all the people in the room?"

"Huh? …Oh! …Yes, sir!…Just a minute, sir!" He went to perform his task eagerly and didn't hear Gabriel sigh.

The young man tapped a couple of quick commands on the holo-keyboard and the camera started a slow sweep of the board room. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, from the looks of things, Giambattista's presence in the meeting was superfluous …then he saw something extremely interesting. "Mole, stop the camera on this man!" He indicated the one he wanted.

"Err…sure, sir!"

Hideyoshi had moved to stand by his side, and looked at the figure onscreen. She flashed Gabriel an inquiring look.

"Joseph Tavares, a senior member of Centra's Governing Council…" He said out loud, **_'What connection would he have with the Lavallee group? Humph, no point in regurgitating old history or should he…'_** He decided to pursue the matter further by himself, there was no point in stirring the pot now. "It's not important, Mole. I do not believe he's directly connected to our present mission." **_'But I better notify dad and uncle Squall about his presence here…'_**

Ahnyang stared at Gabriel's face, **_'He's not saying something…Damn! I hate being kept in the dark!'_** but said out loud, "I have analysed the places you are to visit with the Duchess and Giambattista and I had Mole sent out my reports to your PDD, but I would like to tell you that the most effective way to detect any explosive device is for me to be in the field with my kit." She looked at him pointedly.

"The thought did occur to me," Gabriel smiled mirthlessly, "I've got some jobs lined up for you…"

§

It was past midnight when three dark figures streaked through _41 Rue des __Pommiers_, their presence undetected by the sensitive surveillance equipment, because it's heat sensors can only be set to detect the presence of living things…

§ § §

To be continued…


	24. Nine Days, Part II

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix  
**_Kwehhh_** is courtesy of the fanfic author of the same name

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 23:** Nine Days, Part II**

_:**EBN A.M. Newscast!**  
:Dollet's best and most reliable source of news  
:Reporting on the latest events and happenings around town! _

_- - - Reporting live from _'41 Rue des Pommiers'_!- - -_

… _Featuring our star reporter…_  
…_Veronique Guenod…_

(Image of reporter standing in front of the imposing main entrance of _41 Rue des Pommiers_, which has been sealed by local authorities)

"…Death is the great leveller! Early this morning at around four, twenty-five year old Tyler Wallace, the Count of Hasberry's personal trainer, was found dead in his bedroom by a member of staff in the Count's exclusive residence at _41 Rue des Pommiers_. According to our sources, Wallace was found by Michel Tissot. The two were apparently involved in a romantic liaison and had scheduled a tryst in Wallace's bedroom. Unfortunately, Tissot is not available for an interview.

"The investigative authorities on the case have declined to comment on probable cause of death; although we've been told that they haven't ruled out suicide. We tried to contact the Count of Hasberry for his comments on the case, but we were unable to reach him; however, the Count's secretary, Lalisse Evans, issued the following official statement at five o'clock this morning:

(Image of a sober looking Evans dressed expensively in mourning clothes standing in front of the sealed entrance, myriad of camera flashes and microphones are thrust right into her face. Unfazed by all the media attention, Evans looks calm and collected as she reads the prepared statement.)

" 'The Giambattista family would like to extend their most sincere condolences to the parents of Tyler Wallace for the loss of their dear son. Tyler was not only a valued family retainer, but he was also a friend. He shall be sorely missed by us all. May he be as one with Hyne.'

(Return to image of a very sober looking Veronique)

"…Ms. Evans declined to issue further comments on the case and refused to answer any questions from the press. Back to you, Francesca!

(Flashing image of _Elvoret Broadcasting Network_'s logo before returning to the studio with anchor Francesca Dimaro)

"Thank you, Veronique! Please stay tuned to EBN to find out the latest developments on _41, Rue de Pommiers_!

"In other news:

"Yesterday afternoon, we spotted our beloved Lady Alessa being escorted to _Jean Basquiat Couture_ by an unknown young man. Upon further inquiries, we've been told that he's a top ranking SeeD representing the powerful Tri-Garden organization at the Majority Ball. The buzz from Ducal Palace is that as an extra security measure during the celebrations, he's agreed to act as Lady Alessa's bodyguard.

(Francesca, with a wide smile on her face, turns to ask a rather flamboyant looking young man)

"Jean-Marc, What do you think of Lady Alessa's SeeD 'bodyguard'?

**_"I_** say… Bodyguard or no bodyguard, that's one hunky **body**, Francesca! I've been following the ducal beat for the past three years, and I have **_never_**, **_ever_** observed Lady Alessa cling to a suitor the way she clings to her **_–Ahem–_** bodyguard!

"So, Jean-Marc, what recommendation would you have for Her Highness as she attains her majority?

(Camera zooms on Jean-Marc's face)

_"Mon Coeur_, Forget the Count and **_grab_** that **_beauuutiful_** young god! …If **_you _**don't, somebody with better eyesight will! …_Ma Chérie,_ he's a keeper! With that facial structure…he'll only get better as he ages, Phewwww!

(Jean-Marc fans himself in front of the camera, and looking straight into the lens sends it a flirty wink)

"Francesca, _Ma Chérie_, if all SeeDs are _that_ hot looking, I need to do a special report on one of those Gardens!

(Camera swings back to Francesca, who's been caught grinning at Jean-Marc.)

"Ahem! Thanks for your commentary Jean-Marc…!

….

§ § §

_Day 5 – Night at the Opera_

Gabriel stood grimly in front of Wallace's body. He'd been stripped naked and cut in a very precise almost surgical manner. His throat had been split open from ear to ear and there was a very straight incision, perpendicular to the slit on the throat, which started in the middle of Wallace's jaw and ran all the way down to his belly, exposing his larynx, lungs, heart and stomach –except that the heart was missing, as well as his liver–. The larynx and the trachea had also been removed. Everything else was left in an almost obscenely pristine condition. However, the most bizarre aspect of Wallace's murder was the inscription across his belly:

SANGUINIS INNOCUI, NON SATIATA, ALUIT

It was written in the victim's own blood. Gabriel recognized the script as some sort of ancient Centran. Apart from that, there were no indication on the body itself of any struggle. There was no blood on the white sheets, no blood on the body, no blood anywhere for that matter. It's almost as if Wallace had been drained dry of the substance before having his throat cut and his torso sliced open. **_'Powerful magic was involved here, cast Stop on the victim, drain him dry, then slice him up, carve out the heart and liver…" _**Powerful time magic made it nice and easy on the perpetrator, but excruciatingly painful on the victim. Gabriel conjectured that Wallace was probably still alive when his heart was taken out. He scanned the sumptuous room. Everything was in immaculate order. **_'I'm missing something here… there_ should be_ at least some fluid… Everything is so… tidy, so spotless.'_**

From the background check that Hideyoshi had conducted on Giambattista's entourage, both Tyler Wallace and his lover Michel Tissot were whistle clean. Had the checks been done by anybody else, he would've ordered a more in-depth search, but he knew now that Hideyoshi's work was extremely meticulous. **_'Maybe I should just order it done anyway, it'd piss off that annoying bitch…'_** -Humph- **_'Nah! …Waste of resource.'_** In any case, no amount of background checking would explain the meaning of the inscription in ancient Centran.

Cool blue eyes assessed Tissot's huddled figure. Still suffering from extreme shock, he was sitting in a corner rocking himself back and forth, a dazed look in his wide grey eyes red-rimmed from too much crying, too much grief. His clothing was rumpled, but in pristine condition.

"Why is he still here?" He asked Henri Juspin, Dollet's Chief Investigative Officer, "Get him out."

"Sir, he might be a suspect!"

"I repeat, get him out of here!"

"Yes, sir!"

Gabriel truly disliked having his orders questioned, and he was not in the best of moods. He'd been roused way too early this morning and asked by His Excellency himself to head the investigation over Wallace's bizarre murder. The Duke had also placed a very heavy blanket of silence over the case. The only people allowed into the room had been himself and Juspin, who in Gabriel's assessment was completely inept in the job. **_'Fucking jackass fainted when he saw the body, I wonder what favours his parents pulled to land him this little cushy job.' _**The office of Chief Investigative Officer was a sinecure for the children of extremely well-connected parents, because most VIPs had their own little private armies and had the tendency to settle their disputes in private. **_'Take Giambattista, for example, that fucker's surrounded by a small militia and doesn't even know it.'_**

Spending more quality time with his subject, had not endeared him to Gabriel; instead it had made him despise the Count. **_'That little shit treats staff like they were his slaves.'_** When told of Wallace's demise, all Giambattista had shown was annoyance at having to get himself another trainer. Of course, he'd presented a picture of grief to the gullible Lady Alessa, who was consoling him right now.

Gabriel looked at Wallace's body again. He could understand why the Duke had chosen, with the Count of Lavallee in full compliance, to keep quiet something as gruesome as this murder. If the details were to be trickled to the public, it would cause a widespread panic. Security in Giambattista's residence was state of the art, and it had been penetrated. Wallace was no weakling either, the Count of Lavallee himself had confirmed that he'd been a fully trained bodyguard acting covertly as his son's trainer. **_'Of course, he'd been caught off guard… I wonder what the official story will be? I'm sure anything –_but– _the truth.'_** He needed to get Hideyoshi in here to do a more thorough area sweep, perhaps she might come up with something, anything.

He'd had Mole run a translation algorithm on the inscription and the results had troubled him greatly:

'Blood of Innocents, Not Satisfied, Fed'

It could only mean one thing, whoever or whatever got Wallace would be striking again. He heard a faint signal. It was his ear-comm.

"Almasy."

It was Hideyoshi. He didn't need to recognize her voice, although he did, to know. Everyone else on the squad but Hideyoshi, called him either Gabriel or Gabe. He was by himself, Juspin had grudgingly escorted Tissot out of the room. Nevertheless out of natural precaution he kept his voice low, and his words to the minimum.

"Yes."

"Mole has managed to clean some of the blurry images from our surveillance equipment. He said that we were never alerted of their presence because the energy signature emitted by the three shadows is so faint to be almost non-existent."

"How about the others?"

"Nothing. The building's security cameras did not register anything. But now that we have a better idea of what we're dealing with, Mole's working to see if he can dig up anything unusual from the security cams around the entire block."

"Verdict?"

"You were dead-on, they were undead creatures. No pun intended. Only zombies can be that size and still not emit any life signal. We ruled out machines. Last time I heard, E-Garden was experimenting with some kind of robot prototype, but these? …the capabilities they exhibited would be light years beyond any prototype I've ever seen or heard of… Going back to the images, I doubt Mole will find anything better than what we have from our own equipment, our lenses being by far the superior ones."

"How much cleaner?"

"Mole managed to sharpen the images to confirm that there were in-fact three distinct humanoid shapes moving very rapidly. Their speed is such that an ordinary surveillance cam would be unable to register their presence. As it is, ours just barely caught three very blurry shadows entering Wallace's room. However, the images from the rooftop are clearer. They were not moving as fast."

"What's your take on this?"

"They went directly to Wallace's room, without any hesitation. He was their target, not Giambattista."

Giambattista had spent the night at the Ducal Palace. Since he'd been asked to be Alessa's official escort, the Duke had decided that it would simplify matters to have him stay under one roof. Today, they would be in the Ducal Palace all day for the photo-shoot of the Duchess's official majority images.

"Humph! Have you been able to ID any of them?"

"Two of the figures are undistinguishable because their faces were turned away from our cam, but Mole has been able to amplify and clean up the image of the third which gives us a partial face: forehead, eyes and nose. Everything else is covered. I assume the other two would've been similarly clad. Right now we're trying to find a match for what we've got."

"Try the recently diseased database, start with the most recent and work your way backwards."

"Copy that. Anything else?"

"Yes. I'm reassigning Adams to guard Mole. Meijin is on her way to pick you up, I want both of you over here to make a complete sweep of Wallace's room. And Hideyoshi? We're operating this case under Code 'A', make sure Mole understands that."

"Very well. Hideyoshi out."

Gabriel looked at Wallace again before he covered the body completely with a sheet, **_'Nobody fucking deserves to die the way you did. We'll find the mother-fuckers.'_** Maybe undead did this job, but the strings were pulled by someone live, he knew it with as much certainty as he knew his own name.

As he walked out of the room he called out to Juspin, "Bag the body and send it to the Medical Examiner." To the two ducal elite guards flanking the entrance to Wallace's room he said curtly, "No unauthorized entries into this room without my express personal consent."

§

That night after an excruciatingly boring night at the opera with Alessa glued to his side and a sulky Giambattista, Gabriel had a conference onscreen-call with Squall and Seifer to update them on the bizarre turn of events taking place at Dollet.

"…and you say the inscription was in ancient Centran?" Squall was frowning.

"Transmit the image over, son…" After a brief pause, it was Seifer's turn to scowl, "What d'you think Pube…err…Leonhart?"

In spite of the grimness of the situation, Gabriel couldn't help but suppress a smile, he knew his father was forever calling uncle Squall 'Puberty-boy' but he'd always wondered with Foehn over the reason. Maybe someday they would find out.

"This doesn't look good. The killing method looks too similar for comfort."

Sea-green eyes stared directly at Gabriel, "Son, perhaps you should ask your mother to let you read her notes on my SeeD Field Exam."

"I've already read them, remember? I read them before my own Field Exam."

He saw Squall raise an eyebrow as he asked Seifer, "You mean her _journal_?"

"Father?"

Seifer's gaze moved to Squall, "Yeah." Returning to his son he said, "You read her 'official' report, Gabriel, but I meant for you to read her_ personal_ journal."

"She kept a diary?" Somehow Gabriel found it very hard to picture his usually elegant mother keeping what was –in his opinion– such a girly thing.

Seifer saw his son's face and smirked, "Nah…Your mother didn't keep a diary for the same reasons as say…Selphie or Rinoa," Seifer darted Squall a snide look, but continued soberly, "Your mother kept a journal because she was afraid of losing all her memories. She forgot about us once, she didn't want to go through the same trauma again."

Gabriel heard what his father wasn't telling him out loud, **_'She forgot about _me_' _**But all he said was, "I see, so she kept a journal as a kind of memory archive…"

"At the time, Headmaster Cid thought that it was best to keep some details of the Centra Mission away from prying eyes." This was said by Squall.

Gabriel understood immediately, "SeeD Field Exam reports are always a matter of public record." Suddenly he frowned, "But then…has everyone read mom's journal?"

He was surprised to hear both his father _and_ Uncle Squall laugh! "Gabriel, son! Don't let Selphie hear you say that! She's been after your mother's journal for years!"

It was Squall's turn to smirk, "Yeah, and Rinoa too…" At Gabriel's stunned look he raised an eyebrow over slate-blue eyes and said, "You don't think your father owns the patent on smirking…?" He didn't wait for an answer, "By the way, Rinoa wants you to report to the infirmary as soon as you get back for your annual check-up."

"Yes, sir." He sighed, although he loved Aunt Rina a lot, he hated going for the annual physical since she tended to fuss too much over him –correction– over _all_ of them…

"We know what's in your mother's journal because Irvine and I were in the same mission with her," Seifer stared at Gabriel, his gaze half-serious half-amused, "Son, has livin' in the Ducal Palace fucked up your brains?"

It was Gabriel's turn to scowl, "Nah, dad, but all these damned 'official' outings will!"

The only highlight of the unbearable evening at the opera had been Alessa calling Hideyoshi 'that boy'. He'd arranged to get her assigned as an usher to attend the Ducal Opera Box, and Hideyoshi had been forced to don the bulky uniform which only Ducal ushers were 'privileged' to wear. He remembered raising an eyebrow and thinking, **_'Chick's fucking blind!'_** When he realized that neither Giambattista nor Evans had noticed that Hideyoshi was _female_…

"Well, yeah…it's the perks of the job, son." Seifer interrupted his musings, "In any case, keep Hephaestus junctioned at all times. Make sure Meijin does the same with Pandemona and Ahnyang with Averroes. As to Wallace's murder, it goes under strict SeeD Code 'A'. Duke's special request."

"You assigned Ahnyang and Mole to work on the case, right?" This was asked by Squall,

"Yes, sir. And Meijin, she's my second-in-command." Both commanders nodded. It was a given that anytime Gabriel lead a mission with either one of the Kumo twins, he would always assign one of them as second-in-command.

"Very well. As an extra precaution, just insure that you always move in twos or threes, never alone."

"I've already taken care of it, dad. I've also reassigned Adams to be with Mole, because I need Hideyoshi on the field. His Excellency wants Alessa and Giambattista to attend a series of high-profile social events." Gabriel added, "We have also re-calibrated our instruments to detect their movements."

"Good, although from what I understand, I don't think they will strike in the same place again."

"One thing troubles me though…" Seifer said this pensively.

"What it is, Almasy?" Squall couldn't contain his amusement when two set of eyes turned to look at him, one green, the other blue.

Almasy Sr. provided the answer that sobered everyone up when he said grimly, "They didn't take the body this time. They left it."

§ § §

_Day 6 – The Lapin Riviera_

Gabriel was still pondering on his father's words as he 'escorted' Alessa and Giambattista down _Rue des Sages_. He wondered about the relevance of events that happened twenty-two years ago to the present situation. **_'Where have Dad and Uncle Squall seen a similar murder scenario? …They both seemed completely unsurprised by the way Wallace was murdered, and so sure that it would not happen in Dollet again…?"_** His mind went back to his mother's journal, what kind of information would make his mother leave it out of the official reports? _And_ on a SeeD Field Exam! **_'Was it my imagination or did I detect a flicker of fear in Dad's eyes!'_**…

"Oh, Gabriel! Look_ Gelateria Croce_, they have the best ice-cream in all of Galbadia Continent!" Alessa told him enthusiastically, then she touched a panel on the roof and said, "…Antonio, please stop the car!"

"Really, Lady Alessa, do you think this is wise?" Asked Lalisse Evans in a cold voice. Like Gabriel, she'd been 'asked' to accompany Alessa and Giambattista in today's official outing to the _Riviera_.

Temporarily distracted of his disquieting thoughts, Gabriel slid his gaze to Lalisse's bored mien, only to have her look back at him in a mildly challenging manner, her demeanour undergoing a very subtle change from indifferent to sultry insinuation. They were seated facing each other in the luxurious glider. She'd been coming on to him –very discreetly– ever since they met less than two days ago. He couldn't help thinking with a smirk, **_'Must be looking for a good fuck, I bet Giambattista is as generous with sex as he's with everything else…'_** At least she was a more predictable variable. He deliberately returned her regard, this time allowing his azure gaze to slide lazily down her body. The only indication that she'd been affected by it was the slight blush on her cheeks and the sudden heat that infused her eyes.

Gabriel had been annoyed at Hideyoshi for following Lalisse yesterday all by herself, **_'Either the bitch doesn't fucking understand the implications of Code "_A_", or she's been let loose too often in all her other missions…'_** Gabriel felt personally responsible for all the members of his squad and it annoyed him when people did things without his knowledge or consent, _specially_ if they were operating under Code 'A'. Independent action might yield unwanted results. **_'This fucking mission is already full of unexpected variables, I don't want more to be added!'_** But after reading Hideyoshi's report, he had to admit grudgingly that the movements of the ex-SeeD were highly suspicious, **_'Still, as her squad leader, I'm fucking responsible for her, it was her duty to consult me first…'_**

"…Maybe not wise, but for sure it will be fun!" Alessa exclaimed completely oblivious to Gabriel's introspection. As usual –much to Giambattista's obvious displeasure– she had purposely seated herself next to her 'bodyguard', and was using the opportunity to lace her hands around Gabriel's arm while staring up winsomely at his impassive face, "I bet Gabriel has never tasted such delicious _gelato_!" After saying that she rested her head blissfully on his shoulder.

Even before the car glided to a stop in front of the _Gelateria_, flashbulbs had started to go off. The paparazzi were out in full force. Gabriel coolly untangled his arm from Alessa's grasp and slid out of the vehicle, quickly scanning the area and ignoring the photo frenzy going on around him. Traffic was even more congested than usual and the street was bustling with people either strolling down the busy sidewalk or sitting down on one of the many outdoors cafés that dotted the area.

Not waiting for Gabriel or Lalisse to signal if it was safe to leave the car, Giambattista scrambled out of the vehicle and said to the Duchess, "Lady Alessa, allow _me_ to escort you into the _Gelateria_," and proffered his arm to her with Gabriel looking-on. Before she accepted Vicente's offer Alessa looked up at Gabriel hopefully, but his alert blue eyes were trained on the street, clearly on the lookout for any signal of trouble. Sighing at his inattention, Alessa reluctantly accepted Vicente's arm and allowed him to escort her the short distance to the ice-cream parlour.

Gabriel and Lalisse followed close behind, making sure that people kept their distance from the couple.

§

By the time they finally arrived to the secluded cove property that were part of the Ferrara holdings, Gabriel was pissing mad, **_'Of all the useful things I could be doing, I have to fucking babysit these two!'_** As Giambattista and Alessa had been busy eating their ice-cream, watched by a disdainful Lalisse, he'd contacted Mole. The squad's computer whiz had managed to extrapolate the height of the figure from the image and narrowed down the possibilities to ten possible matches, three from Timber city, five from Deling and two from Windhill. They were all people that had been reported missing lately.

He'd also contacted Meijin to ask for the results of the area sweep, and after hearing them, his pissing mood worsened. The analysis confirmed what he'd feared all along, the fuckers had left no evidence behind: Not on the bed linen, not on Wallace's neatly folded clothes, not fucking anywhere! The only small highlight had been from the Chief Medical Examiner's office, in her detailed autopsy report she confirmed that the writing on the body was done using Wallace's blood, but she also stated that very faint traces of the drug BLISS were found in it. They had been so faint she'd done the blood analysis several times with various samples from different letters to make sure.

§

Lalisse stared at Gabriel, clad in a pair of swimming trunks, with undisguised pleasure. In truth she couldn't take her eyes off him. Too bad she'd committed herself. Her word was her bond. She knew Vicente to be sulking on the lounge chair he'd appropriated next to 'his' Duchess. She didn't need to look at the other girl to know that her eyes were also glued on that beautiful golden god with the incredible azure eyes. **_–Hmm– _**Such a wonderfully muscled body, so well-proportioned … so well-endowed… Back in the glider, when she'd felt those hot blue eyes sliding down her body, she'd thought she'd melt in a puddle! She _knew _that no foreplay would be necessary to get her ready, **_'Hyne! Just looking at the man is enough to give me an orgasm!'_**

In the beginning –before she'd _met_ him– she'd dismissed him as another pampered pretty boy, just like Vicente. After spending the day at the Ducal Palace, Vicente had returned home in a foul disposition, something to do about some upstart SeeD who'd managed to catch the undivided attention of his 'beloved' Duchess. The mention of SeeD had sparked her interest, the mention of the name 'Almasy' more, but as Vicente continued with his diatribe, she realized that he was bitching about Seifer Almasy's son, and not about the Commander.

Not the best of lovers, he'd been particularly rough that night, entering her without allowing for any preliminaries. The little prick had actually cried himself to sleep after he'd _hurt _her. Lalisse knew that he wasn't happy just screwing her, he was aptly dubbed 'Fuck-and-Go' amongst the maids in-staff, **_'At least the he's is not into guys or poor Tyler would've been subject to that little snobby prick's attention…poor Michel too…'_** She'd been really sorry about Tyler's death, he'd been a very decent fellow. She wondered about rumours of that he'd killed himself… **_'I find this suicide theory so absurd!'_** It was just a matter of time before Tyler's parents accepted Michel's more humble background and finally agree to a union between the two… **_'What's the real story!'_** She could smell cover-up, butin any case, she didn't want to get involved.

§ § §

_Day 7 – Club X-ATM092!_

Ahnyang sighed as she avoided the groping hands of yet another drunken clubber. She hadn't minded wearing that heavy 'armour' like uniform as a special usher at the _Dollet Opera House_, nor had she complained when she had to don that constricting dark suit sported by the security guards at the _Grand Casino of Dollet_. After all, those jobs had allowed her the freedom to sweep the area without attracting undue attention… But this, this was beyond the call of duty! She caught Jamilla's wink as she passed by on the way to serve her drinks, hips swinging to the beat of the industrial trance music that was blaring out of the enormous tentacle like speakers, **_'She's actually enjoying herself! This is just beyond my power of comprehension!'_**

The uniform worn by servers at _Club_ _X-ATM092!_ left **_nothing_** to the imagination! Why did they even bother to make them wear anything at all? She'd stared at herself aghast on the dressing room mirror for a full five minutes! Shlomith and Jamilla, their eyes full of amusement, had to shake her to get her to move. The other two seemed to be okay with the neon-white outfits they were forced to wear… a thin neck band connected by a chain to another wider band that barely covered the breasts and a matching miniskirt that spanned the hips and barely reached the upper thighs, top and bottom linked by a single line of squarish plates scarcely an inch in width which were supposed to be 'salvaged' from the hull of the real X-ATM092 model…

She wondered about the kind of sick mind that would think up such a skimpy uniform! At least the neon white boots were wearable! They were pretty low heeled and were laced up all the way past her knees. At least servers got to wear their hair any which way they wanted… She'd strung her long hair into a series of braids, twisting some of it behind her head, just as an excuse to secure it with her special Bo-Shruriken hairpins.

Before the club opening time, she'd managed to scan the perimeter for anything suspicious with the help of Jamilla and Ngugi who'd been outfitted as servers to guard Lady Alessa's party, **_'Poor Nugi, his uniform is as bad as mine!'_** Ahnyang glanced at the area where the Duchess was standing holding court with all her friends, both her hands clasped possessively over Almasy's arm even as she chattered with her friends. Nugi was there too serving drinks. Almasy, she noticed, was busy scanning the area and paid no attention to the girl clinging to his arm. Nearby, Evans was seated next to Giambattista who had a frown on his pretty face. He'd been drinking steadily throughout the night, and his eyes had been glued on her whenever they were not fixated on Alessa. His hands had been one of those trying to grope her!

She'd been serving his drink when she'd felt a hand on the back of her thigh trying to make its way up her butt! Her first reaction had been to strike him, then she'd recovered herself and withdrew swiftly out of his reach. Almasy had noticed, of course, but she wouldn't give that controlling bastard the pleasure of taking her to task, yet again, for _failing_ to obey his _exact _orders... He'd already done so twice during this mission and for actions she thought were within her jurisdiction to perform! So far, Almasy had ignored all of Alessa's entreaties to dance with her. In fact, he was just being downright rude to her! **_'How can she stand the bastard's constant rejection? She should have some pride!'_**

Ahnyang went up to the nearby bar to get her drink order from Shlomith, who was doing her duty behind the counter as barmaid, **_'She's in a very good position to spot any suspicious movements…' _**She knew that Shlomith's special sniper gun was hidden in the bar, within easy reach. Jam's and Nugi's were there too. **_'Those two really know how to work the crowds!'_** The noise level at the crowded club was deafening. Almasy had Mole install hearing enhancers into their ear-comm system, just so they could hear each other with enough clarity.

As if on cue, out the corner of her eye she saw Meijin arrive, her fan shading half her face flirtatiously. That girl was in her element as she sauntered her way to Gabriel's side, pretending surprise to see him there. After Gabriel introduced Mei as a childhood friend, Alessa's face changed from jealous suspicion to one of avid curiosity. She promptly invited Mei to join them and soon they were chattering away as if they were the best of friends.

§

Gabriel was awed by Mei's ability to maintain a conversation and yet say nothing! He scanned the area again, everything seemed to be on track. Ngugi, Jamilla and Hideyoshi were patrolling the area as servers. Shlomith had the best observation post available in the club. His eyes narrowed as they settled on Giambattista. That fucker'd had his eyes trained on Hideyoshi's ass throughout the entire night, he'd also tried to grope her several times but failed. Had they not been in the middle of an ops he would've gladly grabbed that little dipshit's hand and broken it.

He knew that servers at _X-ATM092!_ wore scanty uniforms, but hadn't paid any attention to that detail when he was fine tuning tonight ops… Giambattista had not been the only one to drool over Hideyoshi's hot little body. Had he known the way she would look in the fucking uniform, he would've changed the roster and placed Hideyoshi to work behind the counter… Aaagh! What the fuck was he thinking! Annoyed at himself, his gaze slid to Evans. She was staring at Giambattista with disgust clearly written on her face. The music changed to a more sultry beat. It was time to make his move.

§

Ahnyang saw Gabriel untangle himself from Lady Alessa, leaving her in Mei's care. He walked over to Lalisse Evans and invited her to dance. She almost felt sorry for the poor Duchess, there was deep disappointment tinged with jealousy written all over her face. Lalisse placed her hand on Gabriel's outstretched one, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor and to wrap his other arm around her waist. As they began to sway to the rhythm of the sensuous music, Lalisse placed her head on his shoulder and slid both her arms around Gabriel's neck allowing him free reign of her body.

Accepting her offer, Gabriel traced her body slowly with his hands, from nape to neck to her shoulder blades, then down her back, as if trying to memorize her body. He could feel her quiver in his arms. When the music changed to a faster beat, he broke the embrace and led Lalisse back to her table. Once there he nodded at Meijin so imperceptibly only she noticed, because she was trained to notice such a gesture. Meijin smiled at the others and excused herself promising to return.

On her way to the powder room, she glanced at Ngugi and winked at him suggestively. He knew exactly what that meant. He went to the bar and indicated to Ahnyang, who was stationed there, that they had to serve a new round of drinks to Lady Alessa's group, that was her cue. As she approached that table, Ahnyang saw Lalisse get up and excuse herself; however, unlike Mei, she went in opposite direction to that of the powder room. Before Ahnyang finished serving her drinks, Meijin had returned. She touched Gabriel's shoulder in a friendly gesture before sitting down next to Giambattista trying to engage his conversation. But the Count was not paying Meijin any attention, his gaze was riveted on Ahnyang's cleavage.

§

…_Same Time: Hotel Valendia, Suite 2309 _

Karl Adams was scarfing down a huge slice of Pizza –the Dollet Deluxe– when he heard a series of deep beeps coming from Mole's terminal. In his opinion, his was the best post of the entire ops **_'Man! Excellent pizza! Best assignment I've had so far in this entire mission.'_** He looked across the room at Mole, the kid was alright, not very talkative though.

"Hey, kid! Want some pizza?"

"Err…no, thanks…" Came Mole's muffled reply, he seemed to be concentrating on tracking something onscreen.

Karl shrugged, he would make sure he leave some food for the kid.

§

…_Back at the Club_

Ahnyang felt extremely uncomfortable with the Count's leering gaze trained on her back, even though she'd made sure she was not within his groping distance. She was rounding up some empty glasses as an excuse to remain where she was, when she stiffened. An arm had snaked its way around her and she felt a hand plaster itself to her bare skin, barely south of her breast. A husky voice whispered in her ear, she could smell the fumes of his heavy drinking in his breath.

"Come with me. Let's have some fun."

Giambattista expected her to comply, they all did. He would show Alessa who was the **_man_** here! Suddenly, strong fingers seized him by the scruff of his neck lifting him slightly off the ground and making it very hard for him to breathe, while a dangerously low voice said to him.

"Let her go, you little dipshit or I'll make sure you're unable to continue the fucking Giambattista line!"

"Oh, Count Hasberry! You **_promised_** you would dance with me!"

Meijin was the same height as the Count, she used her body to cover for Gabe as he shook the guy, but she couldn't allow it to continue any further. She dragged the suddenly cowing Giambattista to the dance floor. Still shaking over his confrontation with Almasy, Vicente allowed Meijin to steer him around. Covering his silence with a neverending stream of useless chatter, Mei darted a quick look at Ahn, she was alright. She then dared a look at Gabe, **_'Oh shit! He's pissed as hell…'_**

"Gabriel, what's wrong with our server?" Alessa asked with some concern, "Is she okay?" It was dark and she was surrounded by her friends. All she'd been able to see was Gabriel's golden head which stood out like a beacon in the darkness bent over their dark-haired server. She noticed that Vicente was dancing with that nice silver-haired girl.

"She's fine, just a brief fainting spell." Gabriel replied, his eyes silently telling Ngugi to keep a watch over Alessa, "I'll take her to get a breath of fresh air."

He grabbed Hideyoshi's arm and forcibly steered her to the nearest exit door. Once they were outside, away from prying eyes, he laid into her.

"What the hell were you thinking? Stop sticking your breasts in front of his fucking nose!"

"Do you think I have any choice in this damned uniform?"

"Why is it that Kessler who's clad in the exact same uniform as you has managed to escape the little prick's attention?"

"What are you implying, Almasy?"

"I'm not fucking implying anything! I'm telling you! Don't fucking tempt him _if _you don't want to suffer the consequences!"

"I didn't ask for your intervention! Oh, Great and Fearless Leader!"

They were both getting steamed beyond reason. It was a situation that had been escalating between them as the mission progressed.

"Oh? You mean you wanted the little prick's attention?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Explain yourself, Hideyoshi! I can't fucking read minds!"

"I could've handled his advances!"

"Then, handle this!"

In a blur of motion, Gabriel grabbed her neck with one hand and swooped down his head to claim her lips in a fiery kiss while with the other he seized her chin to force her lips open so he could deepen the punishing contact. Ahnyang would've fallen had she not grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket. His hand left her chin to clamp itself on her narrow waist, bringing her willowy frame into closer contact with his aroused body.

§

…_Same Time: Hotel Valendia, Suite 2309_

Mole was absently munching a pizza slice that Karl had made him take by saying, "Eat, kid! You'll be useless for the mission if you collapse out of hunger…" In Mole's opinion, after working with this team, the higher ranking the SeeD the more they ruled… **_'Wow! Our leader is Rank "A"!'_** It couldn't get cooler than that!

He returned his attention to his screens. There was no sign of activity on his left screen, he was about to direct the surveillance cam to change angles when he heard a blip coming from the screen to the right, where he'd been keeping track of all the movements at the club. He glanced at it and saw a red dot on the move. He better be contacting his squad leader immediately…

§

…_Back at the Club_

Ahnyang took a deep breath, desperately trying to recover from Almasy's searing kiss, she could only stare at his beautiful face. Shaking her head to clear her befuddled mind, she frowned up at him and said.

"Bastard! How dare you!"

She made to strike him, but he seized her both her hands and held them immobile. Guarded blue eyes stared at her bruised lips before he replied.

"Is that how you were gonna handle it? By kissing that fucker back?"

"Why! You arrogant bast…"

"…Squad Leader, sir! Target's on the move." It was Mole's voice.

"Good work, Mole! Alert the rest of the team!" Gabriel ordered.

"I'm on it, sir!"

"C'mon Hideyoshi!"

Their quarrel temporarily forgotten, both Ahnyang and Gabriel rushed back to the club.

§ § §

_Day 8 – Headlines_

* * *

§**Weekly – INSIDE OUT!**  
§Exclusive Feature! 

**_Lady Alessa Escorted out of _Kwehhh!_ By Quistis Trepe's Son_**

_Inside images and an exclusive interview with boutique's owner  
who served the couple personally!_

Yesterday morning, our beloved Duchess was spotted leaving the exclusive   
boutique **_Kwehhh!_**, located at _7 Rue de la Vertu_, in the company of her very  
handsome 'bodyguard', Gabriel Almasy. (Rather blurry snapshot of Gabriel  
leaving the premises with Alessa) **_Inside Out!_** has scouted out the story and  
the boutique's owner, Marie-Lise Van Doren (Nice headshot of boutique owner  
wearing her merchandise) has agreed to grant us an exclusive interview!

**Inside Out:** How often does Lady Alessa (Full figure shot of the Duchess)  
visit your store?

**Kwehhh:** Oh, she's one of our best customers! As you know, we specialize  
in crafting accessories shaped like chocobos. As a matter of fact, one of Lady  
Alessa's official Majority pictures has her wearing our exclusive Chicobo  
platinum diamond necklace, which we created specially for her!

**Inside Out:** As Chocobo lovers all across the world can attest, chocobo   
promise bands are your signature item …Did you in-fact sell a _pair _of them  
to our beloved Duchess yesterday? Should the people of Dollet be hearing  
the traditional wedding summons to the Ducal Palace soon?

**Kwehhh:** We would be breaking the confidence of our most esteemed and  
beloved customer if we were to answer your question! All I can confirm at   
the moment is that yesterday morning, Lady Alessa did buy _one_ of our most  
popular gold ring designs (snapshot of rings), the one we have dubbed the  
'Boko Band' and gifted it to her divine 'bodyguard' as a thank you present…

**Inside Out:** You say as a _thank you _present?

**Kwehhh:** Yes, indeed! As you know Lunar Cry Season is just beginning  
and I suppose that the usual barriers are not in place yet… In any case, they  
were attacked by a horrible Adamantoise the day before yesterday at their  
private retreat on the Lapin Riviera, and Gabriel saved them! I can tell you  
the Duchess was most grateful! And he's such a _nice _young man too, so  
unfailingly polite! So _protective _of Lady Alessa! Quistis Trepe should be  
proud of her beautiful son!

**Inside Out: **We found out that you are a proud parent yourself! One of   
your children is the famous creator of the popular drama _Let Me Be Your Downfall  
_ at **_FFNET_**! Do you have any insider's scoop as to how the season finale will be  
like? I'm sure all our readers are dying to find out!

**Kwehhh:** I'm sorry, my children love me but they keep their trade secrets to   
themselves! I'm afraid your readers and fellow tele-viewers will have to find  
out the same way I do! By staying-tuned!

- - - - -

_**Shocking Incident!  
Count of Hasberry's personal trainer kills himself over lover's infidelity!**_

(Headshot of Tyler Wallace from magazine's archives)

_Inside exclusive interview with a Giambattista family retainer_

* * *

§**HELLO DOLLET!**  
§Number 2408 ∞ 29 May 23AU 

_**Son of Famous Ex-Knight to be Named Lady Alessa's Knight!  
**The Count of Hasberry is rumoured to be devastated by his lady's   
desertion_

(Full two page spread of various shots of Gabriel leaving _X-ATM092! _  
with Alessa -Gabriel's face is so blurred as to be indistinguishable)

Although the official spokesperson from Ducal Palace denies the rumours  
that's been circulating around town, more than one witness saw our beloved  
Lady Alessa in a very tight clinch with her incredibly hot bodyguard/escort!  
Various witnesses at the famous _X-ATM092!_ Club saw Lady Alessa's supposed  
'bodyguard' Gabriel Almasy, son of the hunky ex-sorceress knight Seifer Almasy,  
shove Vicente Giambattista –Count of Hasberry and the Lady Alessa's 'official'   
suitor– aside quite roughly and secure the lady in his arms. After that incident,  
Almasy Jr. was seen scooping the almost fainting Lady Alessa out of the club and  
into her waiting vehicle! Other sources cite that Giambattista found consolation in  
the arms of a very lovely silver haired young lady, who was seen leaving the club  
with a very drunken Count.

(One page spread of Meijin, her face covered by her silver hair helping a very  
drunken looking Giambattista out of _X-ATM092!)_

In an unrelated event, several witnesses also saw the Count's beautiful secretary,  
Lalisse Evans, being escorted out of _X-ATM092!_ and into a waiting vehicle by  
two of the club's divine looking servers. One of the club's patrons, who saw  
the entire incident, tells us that it looked like they were kidnapping Lalisse!  
However, another patron told this magazine that Lalisse seemed drunk and they  
were helping her into the glider.

We've contacted the club owners Biggs and Wedge but they have declined to be  
interviewed by this magazine, citing issues of confidentiality! It is rumoured that  
the Duke of Dollet himself is one of the club's original investors, so their reticence  
in this sensitive matter is understandable… but the Dollet public has the right to  
know more about their beloved Duchess!

- - - - -

**_EXCLUSIVE! EXCLUSIVE!_**  
(Headshot of a very sad Tissot wearing dark glasses)

_**Exclusive Interview with Tyler Wallace's lover Michel Tissot! **_

_Inside read Michel Tissot's side of the story and the reasons why he and Wallace  
chose to conduct a clandestine affair!_

–––––

§ § §

_Day 9 – Majority Ball_

(Flashing image of _Elvoret Broadcasting Network_'s logo)

(Camera spans the beautifully landscaped entrance to the Ducal Palace before it zooms in the magnificent white marble steps that lead up to the palace's arched entryway, elaborately carved with figures that celebrate the accomplishments of the Dukes of Dollet. The impressive coat-of-arms of the _Ferrara D'Este_ is emblazoned right in the centre and is the focal point of the archway. The Duke's Elite Guard clad in their traditional garb and holding ceremonial halberds, are flanking all the entrances into the palace)

(Scene switches to the smiling faces of co-anchors Francesca Dimaro and Jean-Marc Boileau. They are both wearing black tie. Diamonds wink out of Francesca's neck and out of Jean-Marc's right ear)

Francesca, I'm sure all of Dollet is crammed in here to cheer our beloved Lady Alessa on her coming of age!

(Cam spans the palace's grounds packed with people eagerly awaiting Lady Alessa to come out the balcony and wave at the crowd)

Yes, Jean-Marc. Some of these people have been waiting since very early this morning to snag the best places in which to watch the flow of incoming guests to the Majority Ball.

I'm so excited myself, Francesca! Following tradition, our beloved Duchess will be making an appearance in the famous _Balcons des Ambassades_, where all heirs to the dukedom have made their first public appearance after ratification.

That's right, Jean-Marc, early this morning Dollet's Parliament convened in an extraordinary session to ratify Lady Alessa's Right of Succession.

I believe that it was a _unanimous_ vote of confidence cast by our parliamentarians in support of Her Royal Highness! _Oh!_ The emotion of it, I wanted to cry _so_ badly! I tell you, it was the ONLY session of parliament that actually made me shed tears of _joy_!

Ahem! Yes, Jean-Marc… As usual you hit it right on the mark! Oh, I see one of the Ball's first guests pulling up the entrance!

Francesca, _Ma __Chérie_, If I'm not to be mistaken that's Major-General Clayton Deling, one of Galbadia Republic Presidential hopefuls. _Oh-la-la!_ I do think his wife should really _indulge _herself and go on a shopping spree to _Rue de la Vertu_… I personally recommend the fantastic _Anna Arendt Couture_ for the outfitting of all military wives!

(Jean-Marc looks straight into the cam and flashes his signature smile with the wicked wink)

(Camera focuses on a the large stocky figure of a youthful looking Clayton Deling as he escorts his wife out of the limousine. The couple wave at the crowds of people standing on the designated areas as they ascend the stairs to the Ducal Palace. After them, another luxury glider pulls up the curve and a beautiful figure clad in bright red descends from the vehicle)

Look! Jean-Marc one of your most favourite people in all of Dollet has arrived! Sharme Dephta, Editor-in-Chief of the wildly popular _STYLISH YOU!_ Magazine, based here in the city. Wow! She looks fabulous! And her partner, Paulette Rimbaud, looks fantastic too! Madame Rimbaud must be the best dressed Member of Parliament out there!

(A second figure descends from the same vehicle, she's clad in a more sober black which helps showcase her nicely plump figure. Hand-in-hand the two women ascend the stairs waving to the cheering crowds)

–**_Smirk_**– _Mon Coeur!_ Being the best dressed parliamentarian is not such a difficult task to accomplish! …Oh, I see that the Most Revered Elder of the Shumis has arrived! Francesca, don't you_ love_ their long flowing robes!

(A strange looking vehicle pulls up the curve and the Shumi Elder emerges from it followed by a rather solemn looking Moomba)

….

"Hey, Jam! Don't change the channel!"

"Don't worry, you _divine-looking_ server, you!"

"Awww, shush it! Not all of us can make it to the _incredibly hot_ category!"

All of yesterday's tabloids were strewn over one of the consoles in the Ducal Palace security control room. Jamilla and Ngugi had been drafted there to help keep track of the inflow and outflow of people into the palace's main grounds. The rest were to be patrolling the grounds and the Grand Ballroom in synch with Palace Security.

"Woo! After yesterday's ops, that Alessa chick had to be peeled off Boss Hottie!"

"How about that hot dance he had with Evans, Jam?"

"Man! That sizzled!" Then she pouted, "How come he doesn't dance like that with us?"

"Dance like what?" Ngugi scoffed, "He doesn't dance with team members. I've been on and off missions with the guy, and he's _never **ever**_ come-on to anyone! Besides, man's a frickin' slave driver!"

"Tch…Tooo bad you're right!" Jamilla agreed disconsolately, "That Evans girl never thought he was onto her, or that he would be planting a tracking device on her!"

"Y'know? people _look_ at him, if you know what I mean, and don't really think 'bout him being such a brainiac or anything."

"Hey! I'll take that body over his brains anytime!"

"Jam, you're a real perv, y'know?"

"Yeah! I love ya too!"

§

…_At the Ballroom inside the Ducal Palace _

The Duke of Dollet was trying his best not to sigh when he saw his granddaughter ignore Clayton Deling to make a beeline in Almasy's direction, who could be found conversing quietly with Esthar's envoy, Judge Kiros Seagill. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all, even if the young man had more than exceeded his expectations. **_'Is it a built-in mechanism in the Almasy line that they will forever foil my best laid plans?'_** He'd had such great hopes! Gabriel was a natural born warrior and leader, his team was completely loyal to him. The boy would've done wonders for the Ferrara D'Este line. However, the Duke, being both a realist and a pragmatist, after observing that particular young man had come to realize that once again his aspirations had been crushed.

At least his expensive experiment had paid off some dividend. The assassination attempt on Giambattista at the _X-ATM092! _Club which ex-SeeD Evans spearheaded was thwarted by Almasy's team, and she was presently in the custody of Ducal intelligence. They didn't know if she'd been drafted recently or had been a plant from the very beginning, because she wasn't talking… **_'I'll have to do something about this!'_** The Duke observed with chagrin how Alessa latched herself onto Gabriel's arm. **_'At least one good thing came out of it, she's no longer interested in that useless jackass Giambattista…'_**

§ § §

To be continued…


	25. I Won't Sympathize

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 24:** I Won't Sympathize**

_Stand up  
You've got to manage  
I won't sympathize  
Anymore_

_And if you complain once more  
You'll meet an army of me_

_You're all right  
There's nothing wrong  
Self-sufficient please!  
And get to work_

–Bjork–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

Quistis's Journal Entry 

_07.06.01 AU_

…

…Blip! …Device On

"…_AT DID SHE FUCKIN' SAY?"_

" …_told us to leave her here an' to take this other chick with us…"_

"_What could she be FUCKIN' thinkin'?"_

"_Dunno, man, beats me! Though I see her point, like if we take both of 'em we'll be like seriously handicapped …Aw, shit! There's no way we're leaving Quisty behind!"_

"_It's the sorta _**half-assed**_ instruction Trepe would fucking give …Littl' Miss Perfect…!"_

"_So…like how 'bout we leave this girl, find our way outta here and then come back for her?"_

"_Nah… I've scouted that chamber…Trepe's right, there's nothin' in there, but somethin' tells me that it's gonna be a one way ticket out …If we leave, there's no way we're gonna be able to make it back here again."_

"_Hmm, don't sound too good… And, Seif, man! …I think Quisty needs immediate medical attention! I've tried fuck everything! Esuna, Dispel, Curaga! I fucking emptied her entire potion supply. Nothing's havin' an effect on her!"_

…_CRASH!… "She_** had**_ to play the fucking hero! Listen up, Kinneas, we're gettin' outta here! Can you shoot one handed?"_

"_Like …does Zell-boy eat hot-dogs?"_

"_Ugh! We must be in deep shit when I'm thinkin' that havin' Chicken-Wuss here might actually be helpful!"_

"_So, what's your plan?"_

"_Kinneas, you grab sleepin' beauty over there, and I'll take care of Trepe…"_

"_Quisty might not like being carried over the shoulder…"_

"_Too fucking bad! Or how did'ya think we were gonna take 'em both _**and**_ fight our way out at the same time?"_

"_But you said the place looked empty…"_

" 'look'_ don't mean _'is'_…Better be on the alert! From what Trepe said, she had no problems goin' but was ambushed on her way back…"_

"_Hey! She said like there're two doors…"_

"_Yeah …At the very back of the huge atrium, an' one of 'em gotta be the way outta this fuckin' hole. You take the left side and I'll take the right …Oh, and there's some kinda weird metal cup sittin' in the middle of an altar with a yellowish-brown smoke comin' out of it..."_

"_You mean kinda like when we found our new GF?"_

"_Fuck no! Nothin' like that! I could feel Tiamat go into defensive mode right in the back of my mind, if you catch my drift… No, we ignore the thing an' we concentrate in gettin' the hell out..."_

…

…

…_static…_

…

"_Ready?"_

"_Yeah! Let's do it!"_

…

…

…_static…_

…

…

…Blip!

"…_the fuck are you?"_

"_This is none of your concern! Give me the girl and your deaths shall be swift and painless…"_

"_No fucking way!"_

"_FOOLS! Do you really think you can defy me!"_

"_Listen, Pops! Apart from being on the cuckoo side, you're in serious need of fashion advice…"_

"_Hey, man! Don't those goons standin' over there look kinda familiar? I recognize the chick… Hey! That's Patric..."_

"…_INSOLENT WHELPS! …"_

…_static…_

"…_YOU have a Blue Witch?" _

"_Like, I think they're the other three we were lookin'…"_

…_static…_

…

"…_ook kinda pale…"_

"_Kinneas! Let's split up as agreed! RUN FOR IT!"_

"_Ditto that!"_

"_Young fools! Hand over the girl **and** the blue witch! …ATTACK THEM!"_

_Clang! "FIRE!" …Slash!_

_Bang! _

_BANG! _

_BANG! …"Shit! These guys just keep on movin'! …HOLY!"_

…_static…_

"_Ignore that one! CONCENTRATE ON THE ONE CARRYING THE BLUE WITCH!"_

…_static…_

…

_("…Seifer…")_

"_Fuck, Trepe!" …CLANG! CLANG! …SwooOOSH! "…no time for…" …SLASH! Clang! "…chit-chat!" CLANG! …Voosh!_

_Bang! Bang!_

_("…left door… left door…exit…")_

"_KINNEAS!" Swoosh! Clang! … "LEFT DOOR!" CLANG! …SLASH! "RUN FOR IT!"_

_Bang! Bang! …"COPY THAT!" _

… … …

"_FOOLS! You might have overcome my minions, but you shall not escape ME!"_

_("…Mighty Guard! …Ugh...")_

"_DAMMIT! QUISTIS!"_

_(…)_

"_LOWLIFES! WITNESS MY POWER! …CATASTROPHE!..."_

…_static…_

…

…_static…_

…

…_static…_

…

…Unit malfunction…

…

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_11.06.01 AU_

…Fully Charged…

…Initiating All Functions…

…Device Ready…

_Hiya, Quisty! Selphie here! –giggles– I managed to fix your PD so that when you wake up you'll have it beside ya!_

_WOO! It's such a super-duper mega-bummer situation! You've been in a coma for like almost four days now! Even though Dr. Kadowaki managed to get that weird poison outta your system, everyone's sooo worried! The Trepies had set out a camp outside the infirmary but Seify threatened them with bodily harm, so they left! _

_Wake-up soon, okay? Seify's been acting up sooo much! Even Matron cannot seem to restrain him, and my Irvy's also been reeeally cranky._

_You guys were away for such a long time that the Headmaster sent out Squall, Zell and me to get ya on the Ragnarok! Rina wanted to come with us too, but both Squall and Dr. Kadowaki said no! A few days ago she'd collapsed in the middle of the day! It was such a mega-bummer! We were sooo worried, like you guys hadn't reported back and then Rina faintin' for like NO reason! …Phew!_

_We went to Odin's ruins an' found your stuff but you guys were nowhere to be found! It's like you were swallowed up or somethin'! But we never gave up on ya, y'know? …We kept flyin' the Ragnarok over the area, lookin' for you guys …and it paid off! We saw Irvy and Seify dragging you and this girl around while climbing down some mountain path into the Serengetti plains! _

_HOW in Hyne's name did you guys end up _**there**?

_By the way, Seify and Irvy are now officially SeeD! Woo-HOO! But we won't be celebratin' anything until you get better!_

_WOW Quisty! I found out you KEEP A DIARY! (A super-duper encrypted diary!) How come you didn't tell me? Are we friends or what? There's gotta be some seriously juicy stuff in here! Awww! Promise you'll let me read it when you wake up, okay? _

_Just, please, please, pretty please wake up!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_12.06.01 AU_

_Hey, Quisty! Rinoa here! _

_I just wanted to report that the girl you brought back is finally awake! We confirmed her identity as being one Sasha Tavares. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that she's quite alert and doing well. From the excellent reports you filed on your PD, we proceeded to check on her BLISS addiction, but Quisty, Dr. Kadowaki couldn't find any traces of it on the girl's bloodstream, and she has not shown any signs of withdrawal …yet. In any case, we're keeping her under observation! Wow! your quick action saved that girl's life 'cause she was seriously drained! Y'know by givin' her the X-potion and stuff. Irv told us what you did! _

_We examined her and she was physically unharmed. No signs of molestation…just majorly dilated pupils! Dr. Kadowaki's really intrigued as to what they gave her 'cause our scans show nothing! But mentally…I dunno… Poor thing! She seems to be scared of us, and will only agree to do stuff if either Seifer or Irvine are around …Hmm, though now that I think 'bout it she seems to have more of a fixation on Seifer… _

_Oh yeah, The Headmaster contacted Sasha's parents and her mom's coming over to pick her up soon!_

_Also, your GFs have been acting up! Shiva won't allow me near her and this new GF you have is sooo powerful! It gave me quite a jolt! I'm okay, but remind me never to try and draw anything from ya!_

_Quisty, it's so weird to see ya like this, y'know? You look so peaceful, like you're just sleeping… Have I ever told you that you're like a sister to me? Squall hasn't said anything 'bout your condition, yet. You know how he is…but he comes to check on you everyday. I've learnt to read his moods better and I know that he's very worried, just like the rest of us!_

_Please! …Wake up, soon okay!_

_We all miss you!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_13.06.01 AU_

_Yo! S'up, Quisty? _

_Whoa! This room's startin' to look like a flower shop!_

_Man, you gotta get better soon or that asshole Seifer will kill everyone! D'ya know that he's stationed himself outside the door of your infirmary room? Asshole hasn't even been in t' see ya, but won't let anyone come in either!_

_Okay! Okay! So like he'll let_** us**_ inside but the Trepies are banned from seein' ya, so they've been sendin' ya huge bunches of flowers everyday! Even that seems to piss the asshole!_

_I've been bringin' Ma over almost everyday to visit ya! I tell ya, she and Matron's been takin' turns keepin' ya company! Y'know Ma really likes ya! …And Matron…Matron's been lookin' pretty sad. Man! Why won't you wake up, Quisty? _

_Y-You know that us kids from the orphanage gang look up t' ya! Y'know? …E-Even hot-dogs don't taste the same these days!_

_I dunno who did this, but I wanna get revenge on the bastard! Irv tells me that you saved their asses by casting Mighty Guard before you passed out again! That bastard they were fightin' has this seriously evil mega spell! Matron and Rinoa too say that casting Mighty Guard plus that ugly poison took the last of your strength and that you're just resting now…_

_Both Matron and Rinoa are sorceresses right? So they've gotta be right… Right?_

…

…

_Quistis, my dear, I keep telling my boys you're just resting. Don't make a liar out of me! I've tried to talk some sense into Seifer to let those poor people in your fanclub in to see you but he wouldn't budge!_** –Sigh–**_ Such a stubborn young man!_

_In any case I have every faith that you will wake up in your own good time. Tch, tch, the young nowadays are so impatient!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_14.06.01 AU_

_Quistis! What's your secret? _I know_ I would be looking like a piece of shit if I were in your condition! But you? You look just like some sleeping beauty waiting for prince charming to give ya a wake up kiss… Hyne! I know you don't even** use** beauty products!_

_Too bad about the prince! All you've got out there is some heavily tarnished knight who needs some major lessons in charm! I had to threaten the bastard with castration before he would allow me inside! When I asked him why he was keeping guard outside your door, bastard tells me he had to carry ya all the way out and he didn't want to see his efforts go to waste! That's one big sarcastic asshole you've got out there, girlfriend! _

_On the physical side …There's no denying he's hot, **if** you can get over his major attitude problems! Someone should whisper that into that girl Sasha's ear, she's attached herself to him like a limpet and glares at anyone who talks to the bastard. She even glared at Fujin! Hah! Like we don't know who rules in the intimidation department!_

_I still can't get over the fact that those two managed to get you out of that place! Since you're out of commission, the Headmaster requested Almasy and Kinneas, separately, to give us an oral accounting of the mission. Of the four Centrans who disappeared, only Sasha Tavares was rescued… They claim to have seen the other three acting under the command of some masked guy_. _Almasy thinks they were fighting with undead since all three of them had a huge scar that run through their throat from ear to ear. No one can have that kind of wound and still be alive!_

_Irvine's account seems to corroborate Almasy's impressions…he described the three of them as being very pale looking, sunken cheeks, sunken eyes, the works. One of them tried to skewer Kinneas with a pole so he shot him on the leg to immobilize him, but his attacker did not seem to feel the shot… he just kept on advancing! Anyway, to cut a long story short, he shot his attacker through the head and the heart but it didn't seem to matter, because the guy kept on moving. Finally he cast Holy on him and the guy dissolved before his very eye!_

_Almasy had a similar experience …I'm still trying to imagine how it is that he fought one armed _and_ with you hoisted on his shoulder! And the spell that strange figure used on ya! I mean… I've read about it in the old books about forbidden spells, but I thought it was just a myth! It's extremely disturbing to know that someone can actually cast it! I tell ya, this is BIG! It's just as well that you were able to protect everyone from being deep-fried with Magic Guard, but wow! Your blue magic must've grown pretty strong! I mean it managed to deflect that particular spell! In any case, it's taking you an awfully long time to recover!_

_And how is it that you guys ended up with a new GF that won't allow anyone to junction him? Rinoa tried to draw it out, but she got one huge jolt for her efforts! She wasn't harmed or anything… just a bit shaken. Poor thing! Specially after the collapse she suffered more than a week ago… Oh, and by the way, Shiva won't be drawn out either… and Diablos is sticking to Kinneas. What the flip's going on? _

_Well, enough for now! Except for Mrs. Dincht and Mrs. Kramer, Dr. Kadowaki's only allowing one visit per day! And only for half an hour! I know the bastard out there is enforcing it… Humph! It's probably the only rule he's ever obeyed!_

_Quistis, you've always been a fighter! We made SeeD together! You were the only fifteen-year-old to ever pass the SeeD Field Exam! Don't let this beat ya!_

_Wake up soon, Quistis!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_15.06.01 AU_

_Quisty! Man, beautiful, even like this! _

_I think the Trepies are plannin' to ambush Almasy if he doesn't allow at least the leader of their delegation t' come-in and see ya! Even Seif might be powerless against their sheer number! Man! You got some huge following!_

_That Seifer sure got some guts! Who would've thought we'd get outta there alive? And that girl we rescued? Like…she'd glued herself to him… Even now, she's outside bein' like his shadow. You'd think she would at least ask 'bout ya, but nada! She's also been told straight by Seif that he wants nothing to do with her… Man, he's one cold dude! I mean she's a cutie… (Ouch! My Selph just hit me!) But she still follows him around… It's startin' to piss him off…_

_Quisty! What Irvy means is that Seify's been ordered, yep, ordered by Dr. Kadowaki and by Matron to keep an eye on that girl 'cuz she won't pay any attention to anybody else! They think the girl might go nuts or somethin', so they don't want her to be by herself! They even gave her a room next to Seify's! WOO! You should've heard his cussing when he found out! _

_I'll tell ya lots more when you're awake, okay? Promise!_

_Quisty! Wake up! Pleeease! _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_16.06.01 AU_

…

_Trepe! Dammit! This has been goin' on long enough. Never thought you'd be such a slacker! Whatever happened to that self-sufficiency you're so dammed proud of? Don't you think its 'bout FUCKING TIME you woke up? _

…

_Don't make me say it, Quistis…but we've got some unresolved issues here… So, fucking get-up!_

…

_Wake. The. Fuck. Up!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_17.06.01 AU_

_Quistis, my child! I've been so distraught these days with your condition that I haven't had the heart until now to say much of anything, but Dr. Kadowaki tells me that you woke up briefly today! I 'm so happy and so relieved to hear that! _

_Hazel Dincht was here when it happened! She called Dr. Kadowaki immediately! The good doctor examined you, and finally you're on your way towards a full recovery! She has also suspended all visitations until you're up and about! You are to get absolute rest, because you need to restore your energy which was almost completely depleted! _

_I'm afraid my entry shall be the last one until you're well enough to do your own!_

_Rest and get well, my child!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_20.06.01 AU_

_Oh, my! I can't believe I was out of commission for such a long time! I still feel a bit weak, but I'm slowly getting my strength back. I still need to write and submit a report about the mission to the Headmaster, although he's come over to tell me personally that I should take my time until I'm one hundred percent. He also wanted me to know that Instructor Aki has kindly agreed to take over my classes until the end of term…_

_Dr. Kadowaki tells me I can return to my room tomorrow!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_21.06.01 AU_

_It's so nice to wake up in my own room! I guess Dr. Kadowaki had me wheeled out of the infirmary yesterday night…_

_I'm feeling so much better today! I told Rinoa when she came over for a visit that I thought I was well enough to get out of bed. She just shook her head at me and told me that Dr. Kadowaki's strict orders were for me to stay in bed!_

_Hyne! Does she know how boring it is? There's absolutely nothing interesting to view on the screen! I've tried reading, but it makes me drowsy… I guess I'm just frustrated with my overall weakness!_

_I'm rather tired now. Even writing this much is tiring me out!_

_I wish to be better real soon! _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_24.06.01 AU_

_The SeeD graduation party will be next Friday night! Since it coincides with almost the end of term they've also decided to make it into a Garden Festival too… I felt so guilty when Selph told me that they had it postponed until I got better… I know it'll mean a lot of work on Selphie's part to merge the two events, but if anyone can pull this through, I know Selph can! It's too bad that Ellone and Laguna had to cancel their visit, but it was very sweet of them to send me that huge floral arrangement …even if it does take up half of my room!_

_Everybody has been so nice to me! They've even taken turns to come and visit! (Selph comes quite a lot …mostly to nag me about letting her READ my journal! As if I would!) Even Raijin and Fujin have come over to say hi …but I haven't seen Seifer at all! (Oh, just as well!) I hear that Sasha Tavares follows him around like a puppy. I'm glad she's alright, but I've heard she's also not talking…and absolutely refuses to be returned to her family! Her mother has flown in to get her, but Sasha refuses to go back with her… _

_Mrs. Tavares has taken a suite at the Alcaud Palace Hotel nearby and the Headmaster has issued her a Guest Pass into Garden, since Sasha refuses to even leave Garden grounds to spend time with her mother! Apparently, her father, Centran Councilman Joseph Tavares, calls her everyday but she refuses to talk to him as well! What can the girl be thinking? She's lucky to have such a caring family that loves her so much… _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_25.06.01 AU_

_I was feeling so much better today that I decided to leave my bed and go for a walk around the Quad, this also being such a nice day! I noticed that the usually busy hallway interconnecting all the various areas in Garden was pretty quiet…until I remembered that most people would be in class or in training or in a mission! I guess I must've overtaxed my strength because by the time I descended the few steps past the fountain and into a deserted Quad, I was feeling exhausted! (It wasn't even a long walk!)_

_I was leaning with my eyes closed against the trunk of one of the many trees landscaped into the Quad area, when I felt myself being lifted up and Seifer's impatient voice saying, **"Everywhere I fuckin' turn, Trepe!"** I opened my eyes to glare at him and to demand that he put me down. To my relief, he did just that but kept an arm firmly around my waist. (Hyne! Does he have to be so controlling!) _

_I looked beyond Seifer and noticed that Sasha was standing quietly behind him staring at the floor. His posse was nowhere in sight. I tilted my head up to look at him questioningly. For once he didn't say anything, but he looked mostly annoyed. After a few seconds, he told me irritably, **"C'mon! You're goin' back to your room!"** and seizing my arm propelled me in that direction._

_I was feeling tired, but I'll go to my grave before I admit to Seifer that he was right! I shook off his arm and told him that I could walk back without his help, thank you very much. He snorted but let me go. I turned to Sasha, who was following us, to see if I could engage her in conversation when she looked up and just shot me a look of such pure venom that it made me blink! Not knowing what else to do, I just looked straight ahead and kept on walking next to Seifer._

_Halfway to my quarters, Seifer wrapped his arm around my waist again saying, **"Dammit, Trepe! Don't you have any fuckin' sense!" ** I guess he knew I was about to collapse…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_26.06.01 AU_

_I never thought that Seifer would be such a big mouth! I mean, him of all people! Yesterday, he went and told Dr. Kadowaki on me! Of course, she came over to check up on me and to tell me off! …with that jerk standing right there, behind the doctor and grinning evilly at me! I gave him a dirty look, but he just smirked right back at me!_

_I'm to stay in my room today, Doctor's orders…_

_I never thought to say this…but my room is one boring looking place! I guess I never really had to spend much time here! Maybe when I get better I'll do something about the plainness of the walls…a poster or a nice painting…_

_Today both Selph and Rinoa came over to have lunch with me! (Usually they take turns) And filled me in with all that's happening around Garden. Wow! Zell finally asked Susana out! They're going together to the Graduation party. After how many hot-dogs? But the greatest news is that Sasha Tavares finally spoke! Apparently she heard about the SeeD Graduation Party and demanded that her mother take her shopping into Balamb tomorrow! She wants to get something suitable for the party! It never ceases to amaze me! After everything fails, vanity comes forth to the rescue!_

_Now that her health has been completely restored, Sasha looks very pretty. She has long dark curly hair and very nice light blue eyes. I wonder if Seifer will fall for her? I mean, I remember he's into all this knight stuff …She would be hard to resist, specially when she clings to him the way she does. She's practically demanding that he protect her… And who would blame her after her horrendous experience?_

_There's one thing I don't understand, however… Wembley's report tags her as a BLISS addict… Could Wembley had erred in his assessment? Once I feel better, I need to check this with Dr. Kadowaki…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_27.06.01 AU_

_Yay! I know I sound like a child but after spending the whole of yesterday confined in my room I can't help but jump with glee that Dr. Kadowaki has agreed to let me out and about! I don't even care she's asked Seifer to keep an eye on me! I'm out of here!_

_Hyne! Can anyone be as controlling as one Seifer Almasy? After he _'escorted'_ me to the Quad so I could get some fresh air, he made me (I didn't want to) sit on a bench; that is, after scaring away the people who were already sitting there! I was so annoyed, I wanted to know if it would've killed him to request the bench nicely! To which he replied with his usual smirk,** "Nope, got a reputation to maintain here."** I just sighed. As usual, he was being impossible! But of course, his large intimidating presence did serve a purpose, it kept everyone at a respectful distance. Although not all …I've noticed some people give him some very flirtatious looks…_

_I used the opportunity to thank him for getting me out, but all he replied was, **"D'you know? I find that littl' schoolmarmish voice of yours quite annoying!"** Trying not to let him needle me, I looked away from him and said stiffly, **"Can't you just for once, accept my gratitude without making sarcastic comments? As squad leader I gave Irvine some very specific instructions to leave me behind, but you didn't. That deserves my thanks."** _

_He seized my chin and forced me to look up into his glittering green eyes, **"Don't worry, Instructor…"** (Have I ever mentioned how I hate it when he calls me that?) **"…When the time comes I'll make sure to collect my dues…"** The ominous way he said that sent shivers coursing down my skin… Suddenly, I felt very tired. I pretended to ignore what he'd just said (Actually, '_threatened'_ would be a better word) and getting up from the bench, I told him, **"I think it's lunchtime. I'm going to the cafeteria."** _

_The cafeteria was packed as usual. Seifer or no Seifer some people came up to me (I did notice they came up in groups) and told me they were glad I was okay. That was so nice! I smiled and told them I was doing my best to get better and not to worry! To my relief Seifer didn't say anything; however, he just asserted his controlling self by clamping his hand firmly on my elbow and whispering tauntingly in my ear, **"Schoolmarm…"**_

_I was never so happy than when I saw Rinoa signal to us from a nearby table! Squall was there and Zell too. Once seated, I asked the rest about Irvine and Selphie. (Seifer left to get us lunch…Does that sound weird or what!) It seems that they escorted Sasha and her mother into town since Sasha threw a fit when Seifer flatly refused to go with them… It took Irvine's promise to go instead to calm her down, and of course if Irv went, so did Selph… My eyes unconsciously strayed to where Seifer was standing at the counter ordering our lunch, and thinking to myself, _'There goes my knight theory out the window!'

_I wish I could say that lunch was incident free, but of course it wasn't. Seifer started to pick on Zell with his usual _'Chicken-Wuss'_ routine and Zell retaliated with his _'Asshole'_ rejoinder much to the amazement of the others. (I hope it was amazement and not amusement) Of course, I got so annoyed at both of them that I got up and left. (Hyne! When are they going to grow up?) I was already by the entrance to the Quad when I felt Seifer's familiar hand on my elbow and heard his voice asking, **"Trepe, why are you so tight-assed?"** I just stared daggers at him and kept on going to Dr. Kadowaki's office._

_The doctor has declared me completely recovered! I can resume my normal routine. After I heard Dr. Kadowaki discharge me, I resisted the temptation of sticking my tongue out in Seifer's direction. Since the door was opened, I could see him standing outside the infirmary with his arms folded over his chest leaning lazily against the wall. I was a bit surprised to see him surrounded by a group of people (mostly girls), one of whom I overheard asking him flirtatiously, **"Who're you taking to the party, Seifer?" ** Her tone implied _'I-am-available'_… (Some people are quite shameless, I think…) _

_Curious as to how he would answer I cocked my ear and heard him reply, **"I'm going stag,"** Did I just see him wink at the girl? **"I wanna spread my charms around, y'know?"** Hyne! He could give that flirt Irvine a run for his money!_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_29.06.01 AU_

_I spent all of yesterday_ and_ today helping Selphie with last minute details of the party. It's like a madhouse around here! Since Selph's still under the impression that I should not be overexerting myself, she has signed me up to keep track of all the tasks that have been done and the ones that need to be done…in other words, I have a desk job! Which leaves a lot of idle time in my hands…_

_I'm still a bit upset with Seifer…Why is he being such a jerk? _

_The other day, after we left Dr. Kadowaki's office, I was feeling so happy at being discharged, that I teased Seifer about his _'fan-club'_, I must've caught him unawares because his eyes widened, but only for a second. He recovered immediately to quip, **"Never as extensive nor as obsessive as your Trepies, Instructor."** _

_I ignored him to continue in the same vein, **"What would **_**your_ fan-club call itself?_ 'Seiferers' _or_ 'Almasies'_?"_**

_I laughed out loud when I saw him shudder at my suggestions._

"_**Fuck! I hope neither or I might have to kill some people!"**_

_It felt good to be able to joke with him like this, he even smiled at me! (Hyne! I understood why those people out there were drooling all over him!) Feeling confident, I suggested that we go to the Training Centre and get some practice since it's been a while that I've wielded _Save the Queen. _I'd almost expected him to refuse, but he didn't! He just grabbed my arm (I was getting so used to this, I didn't even notice!) and back we went to my room so I could get my favourite whip and on again to the Training Centre. _

_I was beginning to feel tired after decimating a few Grats and a T-Rexaur, which normally wouldn't have even made me sweat! (All Seifer did was stand back and watch me!) I tried to mask my tiredness as best I could, but of course he noticed. Since the secret area was closer, he dragged me there and did his usual routine of intimidating everyone away. _

_I looked around me, nothing much had changed. During daylight the view of B-Garden's impressive rotor wings somehow seemed more mechanical than romantic looking. My last time here was when my teaching license was revoked by a very reluctant Cid. (I was unaware at the time that NORG was already trying to wrestle control of B-Garden from the Headmaster) It was here where I've tried to confess my sense of inadequacy to Squall in the hopes of gaining his sympathy… I was so hung up on my own problems I hadn't noticed that Squall had to deal with some serious issues of his own… _

_It feels as if those events occurred such a long time ago, but it's been only what? Two years? Much have changed… But here I was –again– standing on the same spot, but instead of facing a taciturn Squall, I'm looking at Seifer's chiselled features. Nowadays he's taken to wearing a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans, _Hyperion_ holstered to the side. Nothing very fancy, but then with a physique like his… He doesn't really need anything extra to draw attention to himself._

"_**Why aren't you wearing your grey trenchcoat?"** I asked him curiously._

"**_What? You weren't there, fuckin' screaming my ears off yelling _'take-it-off' 'take-it-off'_ before it got dissolved?"_**

_I grimaced at his sarcastic tone and how his pitch went higher, supposedly to imitate the way I spoke. Just to get back at him, I shrugged my shoulders and said._

"_**I thought you had a closet full of those garments. At one point I thought you slept with the thing on!"**_

_He just snorted at my comment, leaned both his elbows against the balcony rail, and looked straight ahead into the horizon saying, **"Maybe I've decided to move on."**_

_I mimicked his move and told him, **"You know? The last time I was here, it was with Squall."** _

_I felt him stiffen beside me, but all he said was, **"Oh…"**_

"_**Yeah… It was during his SeeD Graduation Party. That was also the first time he met Rinoa."**_

"_**Ha!… I saw the two of them dancing! Heh! Heh! Rinoa can be one pushy chick!"**_

_I peered up at his face, **"It didn't bother you? …Rinoa **_**was_ your girlfriend…"_**

"**Ex_-girlfriend, Trepe, and nah…I had another date that night."_**_ Then he turned to look at me full in the face and said with a smirk, **"As you well know."**_

_I blushed at the hot memory that suddenly rushed into my mind. I was on my way to meet Squall so we could come here, to the secret area, when I heard the moaning. Thinking someone might be in trouble I hurried to the source of the noise only to find Seifer making out rather heavily with this girl… They were in front of his dorm, he had one of his hands under her skirt, but she didn't seem to be minding it since she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck… She was so far gone she hadn't even noticed I was there, but he did! _

"_**Ahem! Well…"** Blushing at the memory, I continued looking away into the distance, **"As I was saying, I was here with Squall hoping to get his support…"**_

_Seifer interrupted my speech scoffing at the notion of Squall giving me support, **"YOU wanted emotionally stunted **_**'Puberty-boy'_ to offer you support?"_**_ I could sense that he had turned his entire body to face mine._

_I continued doggedly, **"I realized at that moment how important it was to have a friend with whom you could share your feelings…" **I had thought at the time that I was in love with Squall, but in the end I realized that I had confused fondness and affection with romance. Rinoa's appearance made that difference very clear to me… **"Matron tells me that as children, when Ellone was taken away, I tried my best to be a sister to you all…" **_

_Seifer grabbed my shoulders gently and made me turn to face him, **"What're you trying to say, Trepe?"** He was frowning._

_I looked down at the floor, I needed to say it. I had failed him so many times in the past. I wanted to let him know that no matter how annoying or impossible I found him to be sometimes, that he would always have my support. We had grown up together. I looked at him straight in the eyes and said, **"What I'm trying to say is that you …you can think of me as, family …You know, like a big sister… S-Seifer! …What're you doing?"**_

_He'd tightened his grip on my shoulders to the point I knew that it would leave bruises, **"Is this what that littl' prissy speech was all about?"**_

"_**Seifer! What's got into you?"** I was thoroughly confused, I thought my offer was a valid one. Everyone else considered me as such! In reply, he bent until his nose was almost touching mine._

"_**I'll say it one more time, Trepe! Don't make me fuckin' repeat myself again! I. Do. Not. Want-slash-wish. To be. Your. Fucking. Brother! Cousin! Whatever fuck-all relative that comes into your prim littl' mind!"**_

_He released me after saying that, then he turned and stomped to the entrance of the secret area. Once there he stopped and called out, **"What? Are ya comin' or you think you can take on a couple more of T-Rexaurs in your condition, Instructor?" **And without waiting to see if I followed him or not, he left._

_Feeling incredibly hurt by his callous rebuff, I made to follow his retreating back. How did it end like this? The beginning had been so auspicious…_

_That incident was two days ago. I haven't seen him since…_

§ § §

To be continued…

s/n:  
Yeah! I'm a huge _Bjork_ fan! I'm so glad I was able to use her lyrics here! Another is _Public Enemy_, maybe I'll find something suitable in the second phase of my story.

Vale!


	26. Enigma Of The Absolute

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

_She said: What is history?  
And He said: History is an Angel  
Being blown backwards into the future_  
–Laurie Anderson–

Chapter 25: **Enigma Of The Absolute**

–_Excerpt taken from the **Book of Ormus ** –_

This Great Hyne that common people have come to worship as a great deity, was by all accounts a mortal possessed of a vast magical power. The little information I've managed to gather about this being is often confusing and contradictory. Some say that Hyne is female and others swear they can prove Hyne is male (but no proof has ever been provided). Some have even argued that initially Hyne possessed both aspects, but in the end transcended them. Nevertheless, one fact emerges intact: the extent of the powers wielded by Hyne is unimaginable, even amongst those of us who sit in the Council of Sages.

It is said that Hyne could shape elementals into magical beings and infuse them with consciousness; so indeed, Hyne's powers were worthy of a divine being. The ability to grant awareness can only be attributable to a god. How a mortal came to be with such a power none of the wise can explain. Of course, not all magical beings are creations of Hyne; in fact, most spirits have existed freely in the natural world _before_ the coming of Hyne. However, ordinary people are ignorant _or_ do not care about this difference in origin, and have grouped all magical spirits under the name of _Guardian Forces_.

Perhaps I should make a brief hiatus here to elaborate the point above. Not all Guardian Forces are the same. Some, such as the elemental _Shiva_, were expressly created and infused of a consciousness by Hyne to serve humanity. Others, like _Djinn_ and _Hephaestus _who were already ancient –even in the time of Hyne– **_made the choice_** out of their own free-will to serve humanity. It was one of the choices agreed upon in the Covenant of Power.

The terms of the Covenant were quite simple: In exchange for the freedom to exercise their free-will, the spirits agreed to protect the humans they _chose _to serve, and for those magical beings that chose to serve no one, to at least let the humans be and not to hinder them. These ancient spirits knew that Hyne had the power to subjugate them to a will not their own, and did not want to be enslaved. Hyne knew that it would take an immense amount of time and power to bend the will of these magical creatures, and yet they could not be left unconstrained for they could cause great destruction, albeit unwittingly –the ancient spirits being neither good nor evil–.

Time proved the wisdom of such a Covenant. The spirits, by becoming Guardian Forces alongside the ones created by Hyne, discovered the benefits of not being alone. They discovered the blissful sense of companionship that their long isolation had prevented them from experiencing. The humans that acted as their hosts, discovered the security of being protected by such powerful beings. What would happen if such an agreement were to be abused or broken? I know not. I've been unable to gather any information on the matter.

§

It should not be surprising therefore that Hyne has become a major deity in our times. I can only predict that in future generations Hyne will supersede the true gods and shall come to be worshipped as a supreme deity.

The name of this mortal is already a commonplace in many people's tongues around the world. For in spite of having such tremendous power, Hyne travelled all across globe teaching people many skills and helping those who were in need, never stopping in any place for too long. Soon, word of one called Hyne spread around the world and people would welcome the propitious traveller that was rumoured to always bring gifts of knowledge and prosperity.

There are so many accounts, all of them unreliable, of what Hyne looked like that I have come to conclude that there are no real descriptions of Hyne's appearance. On the other hand, the accounts of Hyne's deeds –take or leave a small variation here and there– are more reliable, _if_ I may humbly be allowed to use that qualifier, as the majority of my sources are mere hearsay, oral accounts that have been transmitted down from generation to generation, or the wording of some ancient epic transcribed many times over by barely literate scribes.

I believe, I might be the first that has ever undertaken the gargantuan task of assembling and sorting the vast and often amorphous and contradictory amount of information –mostly from oral sources– about the subject of Hyne and write it down at the behest of the Council of Sages.

§ § §

–_Later excerpt taken from the **Book of Ormus** –_

I admit at the time that I was blinded by the achievements and the prosperity of our civilization. Not wanting to blemish Hyne's pristine image, I culled from my own text the more obscure references, the hints of darkness, dismissing them in my own arrogance as the rantings of a deranged people.

We were still riding on the cusp of old deeds, riding on the accomplishments of those that had come before us. Our very conceit had spawned our decadence, we had become a smug and overconfident people. At the Council, we were debating on whether we should allow the worship of Hyne as a supreme being to continue. Hyne was, in the eyes of some Council Members, a false deity and they were of the opinion that this worship should be stopped. I was not one of them.

With hindsight, I look back and conclude that the Council of Sages was nothing but a Concilium of Fools because we still operated under the delusion that people would give up their Hyne worship just because We, in our arrogance, decreed it! I, for one, was very glad when such a motion was defeated. With the world being such as it is –a vast place of infinite possibility–, it was my belief at the time (and it still is) that ordinary people need to place their faith in a benign being. A being that will provide them with some solace of hope in their hour of direst need. The people had chosen Hyne, who are we in the Council to object?

Perhaps I was wrong in withholding the truth about Hyne, but I do not regret it. Even after we discovered the existence of the _Clavicula Grimoire_, even after hearing the bleak pronouncements of the Sibyl Erythraea, I cannot regret the choices I've made. The choice that I'm about to make.

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

The title of this chapter is also the name of a track by _Dead Can Dance_ from their album **_Spleen and Ideal_**

The epigraph is part of a song called **_The Dream Before (For Walter Benjamin)_** by _Laurie Anderson_ from her album **_Strange Angels_**


	27. Hear Ear To Ear

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 26:** Hear Ear to Ear**

_Let it die  
And get out of my mind  
We don't see eye to eye  
Or hear ear to ear_

_Don't you wish that we could forget that kiss  
And see this for what it is  
That we're not in love_

_The saddest part of a broken heart  
Isn't the ending  
So much as the start_

–Feist–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_30.06.01 AU_

_Tonight was Irv's and Seifer's special SeeD Graduation Party and Garden Festival! As expected, Selph did a super great job! _

_In the afternoon, I had lunch with Rinoa who casually informed me that Squall would be coming over tonight to escort me to the show and then to the party. I must've stared at her with a real stupid expression on my face because she giggled and said that she would be in the Quad already. She had prepared something special with which to surprise Irv and Seifer, them being the guests of honour and all. She also told me that the Headmaster had asked Seifer to be Sasha's escort in the hopes that she might say something to him about what had happened to her._

…_I know a cover up when I see one, and Rinoa's deliberate attempt to turn my attention was one. Why did Squall have to escort me to the Quad and to the reception? Didn't they think I could get there by myself? What was going on? I thought when Dr. Kadowaki discharged me a couple of days ago it would signify the end to all this nonsense!_

_Anyways, that's how I ended going to the party with Squall. After thinking hard about what to wear, I decided on my SeeD dress uniform. It was a graduation and I had been Irvine's and Seifer's SeeD support. In my opinion, wearing my uniform would be the best way to honour their achievement. (It doesn't matter if Seifer has been acting like a big jerk lately)_

_The Quad looked beautiful with all the glowing lanterns hanging from the tree branches. They had even placed some floating lights on the fountain! And the stage set-up! Wow! Now I understood why Selphie made me get all those water crystals! She had them strung vertically so that they formed a curtain-like backdrop to the main stage! With the soft illumination, the crystals sparkled sending off myriads of lights… _

_I could see that the Headmaster was already there, seated on the front row centre! He was conversing quietly with Mrs. Tavares and Dr. Kadowaki. Next to them were Matron and Ma Dincht, they were engaged in a very animated conversation with both looking pointedly at a red beet faced Zell and a blushing Susana, who sat next to Mrs. Dincht. Irv was already there, sitting on the second row behind Zell (and probably snickering) looking very nice in his SeeD uniform…but what's with the hat? To his right there was an empty seat, because Selphie was probably backstage driving everyone crazy! Zell was wearing his SeeD dress uniform, and seated next to him looking very happy was Susana. She looked so pretty with her hair loose and wearing a chocolate brown strapless dress… _

_I couldn't avoid looking in Seifer's direction …Of course he looked good in the SeeD uniform. Was there ever any doubt? Sasha Tavares –looking very elegant in her black gown– had looped her arms possessively around one of his. She was sitting between him and Irvine. I couldn't help but think how fragile she looked seated between Irv's and Seifer's towering figures. _

_I followed Squall into the seats that were reserved for us and noticed with some misgivings that I was to sit next to Seifer. Oh well! I just took a deep breath, (mentally, that is) plastered a smile on my face and greeted everyone. Seifer turned around (He was talking to Irv, the two of them seemed to have hit it off rather well during our Centra mission…) and was lazily looking me over from top to bottom as I sat down. Fortunately Squall had finished greeting the people on the first row and was right behind me. As a way of greeting Seifer, he simply said, **"Almasy."** He sent a nod Sasha's way and then said in the same deadpanned voice said, **"Kinneas." **(I was trying really hard not to roll my eyes, I mean …Squall, Really!) _

_Of course, Seifer had to say something, **"Well if it isn't our beloved Instructor escorted by Garden's own Commander!"** Only he can infuse such sarcasm in the seemingly innocuous words. Irvine just snorted at Seifer's rejoinder, but he smiled at me. Squall sent a glare Seifer's way but in general ignored the remark. (How typical!) Sasha graced Squall with a shy smile while she tightened her grip on Seifer's right arm, but didn't say anything to me (Hyne! What did I ever do to her?). More people began to arrive, Xu came over and sat behind us. _

_I tensed for a moment hoping she and Seifer would not have a confrontation…to my relief they just nodded briefly at each other… I allowed myself the opportunity to relax and that's when I did a double take on Xu! I turned around and asked her accusingly, **"You're not wearing uniform?"** Actually Xu was wearing a gorgeous deep ruby dress. It had a very structured cut which was moulded to her figure from neck to mid-thigh but left her arms bare. She shrugged her shoulders at my tone, **"What? Is it a crime?"** (Once again, I was the only girl there wearing uniform!) then with a sneer on her face Xu said to Seifer, **"Hey Almasy! If you ask me real nicely I might even dance with ya!"** (Was Xu coming-on to him!) I guess my jaw must've dropped, because she laughed and winked at me. _

_Seifer turned and looked Xu over saying, **"Not bad, Hideyoshi, but I'd need t' see some more skin before I make up my mind."** I looked at Seifer not believing what I was hearing him say (Irv didn't help with his snickering!...and, did Squall snigger as well!) **"Humph! If you weren't such a bastard, Almasy, I might even congratulate you for a job well done."** (Did Xu just give him a backhanded compliment?) **"Yeah, well, and if you weren't such a bitch I might even like it."** (I guess, Seifer's reply was equally nice… and I absolutely refuse to sigh anymore!) _

_Xu was about to say something else when Fujin and Raijin arrived. (Thanks Hyne!) Raijin was actually wearing his SeeD uniform, but it was Fujin who astounded everyone! I can still hear Irvine's wolfish whistle! And Raijin's indignant rejoinder, **"Hey! Watch it! Ya know? That's my girl, ya know?"** She looked amazing in a silky white skeemer dress! Fujin's greeting was the simplest, she inclined her silver hair head gracefully and said, **"GREETINGS!"** Then to Raijin she ordered,** "QUIET!"** _

_After that, the open air auditorium filled up real quickly. I was in the process of smiling a greeting to some of my students when I felt something heavy drape itself across my chair. It was Seifer's arm. Startled I looked up into his face, but he wasn't looking at me, his gaze was on the stage. Sighing at such a public display (What was his purpose anyway?) and knowing that unless he wanted to, that arm would remain there, I looked in the direction of the stage myself. The lights were dimming. The show was about to start._

_When Selphie entered, everyone clapped and cheered her loudly. She looked so cute in her short yellow party dress! I heard Irvine shout, **"Way to go, babe!"** Selphie must've heard it because she waved in our direction with a huge smile on her face, before sending off a kiss in Irvine's direction. After introducing the impressive line-up she had in store for us this evening, she made Seifer and Irvine stand up! Of course, asking Seifer, the greatest show-off on the face of the planet to take centre stage is not very difficult, with Irvine running a very close second. Like the consummate showmen they were, they waved at everyone amidst the loud clapping and the wolfish whistles._

_Once the tumultuous crowd calmed down, the show began. I must say, I enjoyed all the numbers very much but Rinoa's surprise stole the show! Hers was the last performance on the line-up. I knew her mother was the famous singer Julia Heartilly, but I had no idea that Rinoa sang, let alone compose any music. Wow! And Nida! He was onstage playing the piano (although that did not surprise me, since I know of Nida's proficiency with that particular musical instrument) He looked so nice too! I saw Nida's boyfriend, Samuel Trenton or '_Spade'_ from my old card club, looking so proud of him. (Now, that's one relationship that's had its fair share of ups and downs, but has always somehow managed to stay together!) _

_For her first number, Rinoa sang her mother's song "Eyes on Me" which she dedicated to Seifer and Irvine. After she finished, the applause she got was deafening! She has a beautiful voice! The second song was more personal, it was a song that Rinoa had composed herself… She didn't name anyone, but we all knew who it was for… As Nida started playing the initial notes, I looked at Squall and saw a slight smile on his lips._

So winter's come  
And summer's fall  
Time is just a whisper  
In a waterfall

_Squall will never really become the most talkative person there is, but he's certainly come a long way from his initial taciturn self…_

Forever now  
Every road I wander  
Brings me back here  
Next to you

_I inadvertently turned to look at Seifer and found him gazing at me with an unreadable expression on his handsome face. I nervously looked back at Rinoa …S-She looked really wonderful in her sheer blue halter dress… _

Be still my love  
And close your eyes  
Don't say a word  
No hows or whys

_At this point Rinoa looked directly at Squall…_

Everything I need, within me  
All the dreams I've dreamed, are true  
And all the starry skies, inside me  
When I'm next to you

_Wow! As I heard Nida play the final notes, I closed my eyes and thought what a beautiful love song, so simple yet so intense. The tumultuous applause made me open my eyes, everyone was on their feet clapping and shouting **"Bravo!"** I did so myself! Rinoa was one hell of a song writer! I took a quick peek at Squall and noticed he was blushing! That made me smile, he looked so cute!_

_I heard Seifer say over my head, **"Not bad Puberty-boy! So, have you taken advantage of my advice?"** Huh? What in Hyne's name did he mean? We were all standing so I craned my neck to see Seifer's face. He was smirking. Then I turned to look a Squall, his face was beet red! What advice could Seifer possibly give him to make Squall blush like that! Seifer's next remark clarified it for me, **"Trust me Leonhart, all the chicks love it once you try it on them."** I started to blush myself! I didn't even know what advice he'd given Squall except that it was embarrassing the hell out of him. At Squall's muttered, **"Shut up, Almasy."** I turned to glare at Seifer. Unrepentantly, he continued, this time looking at me, **"Had someone tried it on Trepe here, she wouldn't be so uptight…"** I was so shocked! I wasn't sure what he meant, but it sounded so…so lewd! I was going to sock him one, when I felt Squall's hand on my wrist stopping me from slapping that bastard's arrogant face. He looked pointedly at Seifer and said with a raised eyebrow, **"Yeah? Who would be suicidal enough?"** I had the distinct feeling he wasn't referring to people fearing my _Save the Queen_. Keeping his hand on my forearm, Squall simply said to me, **"Let's go."**_

_That's when I heard Selphie's cheerful voice over Garden's PA thanking everyone for watching the show and inviting them to the dance on the other side of the Quad. That dance, I knew, was mainly for the Cadets because it signified the end of their school term. (technically they had a week or so more of classes) Most SeeDs were to proceed to the Ballroom, where in a more private function we would be celebrating Irvine's and Seifer's induction into SeeD. I could see Xu and Susana already way ahead of us chattering non-stop with Raijin and Samuel, Fujin listening quietly. I saw her kick Raijin only once, but he didn't complain as Fujin's delicate high heel shoes are definitely much less damaging than her usual steel-toe boots! _

_It seems that Zell had stayed behind to escort Ma Dincht, and Irvine was doing the honours with Mrs. Tavares on one side and Dr. Kadowaki on the other… As usual, Sasha was clinging to Seifer's arm but he didn't make any move to reciprocate …It was more like he just let his arm hang limply from his shoulder. As I was nearing the Quad's entrance, some of my students came over and gave me a bunch of fragrant pink roses. Surprised, I looked at Squall who shrugged but let go my arm so I could receive the flowers. They wanted to thank me for being their instructor. I felt really touched by their thoughtful gesture. I smiled at them and wished them all good luck. One of them cleared his throat nervously and asked if I could stay for a bit and honour them with a dance. I didn't really know what to say, I was still their instructor… then I felt Seifer's familiar arm around my waist saying, **"You got your minute of fun, punks! Now scram!"**_

_It's amazing how quickly people react when he uses that tone of voice! After saying that, he released me and turned on his heels, grabbed Sasha roughly by the elbow and steered her towards the lift that would take them to the ballroom. I was about to follow him just so I could tell him what I thought of his high-handedness when Squall placed a hand on my shoulder, and silently shook his head. I took a deep breath, but let it go. He was right, now was not the time for that…_

_The ballroom looked as beautiful as the stage, there were water crystals hanging down from the ceiling looking like suspended raindrops. Selphie had really surpassed herself on this one! When I entered with Squall, Selphie came over to greet us with Irvine in tow. She wanted to know what I thought of everything and I answered her truthfully saying, **"Wow, Selphie everything looks fabulous!" **She giggled in response, but I knew she was happy with my praise. **"Come over to our table!"** Before we did that, I tapped Irvine on the shoulder and with a wide smile on my face, I gave him a big congratulatory hug! Of course, that sharpshooter, being the ladies' man he was, took advantage of the moment to wrap his arms around my waist and swing me around yelling, **"Woo-hoo!"** When he set me down I had to grab his arm because all that spinning had made me dizzy!_

_At our table, Seifer was already there and trading insults with Zell (It's amazing how they can even make it sound like a friendly conversation!), Sasha was seated next to him. She seemed to be talking quietly with Susana. (I'm glad she's over her silent period!) Fujin and Raijin were seated on the table right next to ours, with Samuel, Xu and the rest of our old card club! There was an empty seat which was probably Nida's since it was next to Sam. I was about to ask Selph about Rinoa, when she showed up with Nida. Apparently there was a line up for the lift. (I guess showing up with the Commander has its perks, amongst them priority use of the lift!)_

_As the place started to fill up, the hired band struck-up a dance tune. With a happy squeal, Selphie dragged Irvine to the dance floor and glued herself to him although it was not that kind of music. I saw that Matron was dancing with the Headmaster, they looked so cute together! I laughed when I saw Rinoa's effort in trying to drag a highly reluctant Squall to the dance floor. Hyne, it was almost like pulling teeth! Nida was gallantly asking Dr. Kadowaki for a dance. Fujin and Raijin were already dancing, for once at complete peace with each other. _

_My eyes widened when I saw Seifer ask a blushing Ma Dincht to dance! Wow! When he succeeded, I wonder if Mrs. Dincht knew that she was probably one of the most envied ladies there! Like Squall, Seifer danced with an innate grace, but unlike Squall's tentative steps, all of Seifer's moves echoed his personality: bold, confident and overly arrogant. Soon they took centre stage, people made a circle around them. Ma Dincht had a wide smile on her face. When the music ended, Seifer returned Ma Dincht to her table and with a flourish bent to kiss her hand. I dared a peek a Zell who had watched everything and all he did was to mutter, **"Asshole show-off."** Both Susana and I glared at him. As for Sasha, her eyes just followed Seifer hungrily around. (I'm glad she's socializing with other people, but her obsession with him is becoming disturbing, I think…) _

_Next, Seifer danced with Matron, while I saw Rinoa take the Headmaster out to the dance floor… Irvine was dancing with Mrs. Tavares and to my utter surprise I saw Squall bow stiffly and asked Ma Dincht to the dance floor! Wow! Will wonders never cease to occur! I turned to tease Zell about asking his mother to dance when I saw Sasha blanch. Her eyes fixed on the ballroom's entrance… I followed her line of vision and all I saw standing there was a man of medium height dressed conservatively in a dark suit sporting a grey bow tie. He seemed to hesitate at the entrance, so I decided to go greet him. From his looks, I guessed he was Council Member Joseph Tavares. _

_I went over and introduced myself after I had welcomed him to our celebration. Since they had dimmed the lights, it was quite dark so I offered to escort him to the Headmaster's table. He seemed to be very grateful for my assistance. He gallantly held out his arm and after I laced my fingers around it I gently steered him towards the Headmaster's table. Since everyone was still on the dance floor, I was about to offer to escort him to where Sasha was sitting with us, when her look of abject terror in my direction made me change my mind. (What was with the girl? Why was she terrified of her own father?)_

_I peered at Councilman Tavares, he was only a few inches taller than I was and was rather on the thin side. There was nothing intimidating at all in the way he presented or handled himself... I mean, this girl had latched herself onto Seifer, a guy who can clear a room with just a glance… To my relief, the Headmaster noticed Councilman Tavares arrival and headed in our direction. He welcomed Sasha's father warmly and invited him to sit at their table next to Mrs. Tavares, who was still dancing with Irv. I offered to get the Councilman a drink, when to my surprise he covered my fingers with his and smiled at me, telling the Headmaster he should be proud of his well-trained SeeDs. _

_Never one to miss an opportunity to show us off, the Headmaster told Sasha's father rather effusively that I was one of the best. (I'm glad the lights had been dimmed, that way my embarrassment did not show!) For a second, Councilman Tavares gazed at me in a way I found troubling, but it was so brief I thought I'd just imagined it… I mean, I just met the man, how was it that I saw a quick flash of recognition in his gaze? When the three of us reached the Headmaster's table, the dance number was over and everyone was in the process of reseating themselves. Seifer held out Matron's chair for her so she could get seated and Squall was doing the same for Ma Dincht. _

_The band started to play another tune, when to my amazement Councilman Tavares asked me to dance! Involuntarily, I looked at Mrs. Tavares, but she was busy looking at her daughter with a strange expression on her face. Since there was no way I could refuse, I allowed Councilman Tavares to lead me to the dance floor. He wanted to know if I was one of the SeeDs who rescued his daughter, and I told him truthfully that I was part of the team, but that in reality the ones solely responsible for Sasha's rescue were Irvine and Seifer. He nodded his head solemnly and said that he would insure that they receive their reward. (I don't understand, but I didn't like the way he said it…)_

_Midway through the dance, I saw Seifer looming behind Councilman Tavares and without any qualms cut in saying, **"D'you mind, sir? I'd like to dance with my instructor."** Without waiting for a reply, he wrapped his arm around my waist and grabbed one of my hands with one of his. Seifer wanted to know what Sasha's _'Old-man'_ wanted with me. I looked up at him, I'm sure with confusion written all over my face, and replied to his question with complete honesty, **"I'm not sure."** For once I was actually grateful that Seifer had such a forceful personality. Thanks to my high-heel boots, I was exactly at eye level with his shoulder, so I was able to skim my gaze over it to check on Sasha. I was worried about her. _

"_**Seifer, why don't you ask Sasha to dance with you?"**_

"_**Why?"** He asked me baldly. _

_I looked up at him exasperated, **"Are you **_**askingme_ why _you_ should be dancing with a pretty girl?"_**

"_**Trepe, has anyone ever told you, you're fuckin' patronizing?"**_

"_**Yes!"** I answered thoroughly irritated, **"By you! Constantly!"** (Hyne! Couldn't he just do what I request for once without making any rude comments?) I gazed at him pointedly and felt his arm tighten around my waist, drawing me closer to him. _

"_**No."** He whispered in my ear. Just like that._

_Trying to make my point, I used my free hand to push against his chest demanding that he give me some space, **"She's afraid of him."**_

"_**How d'you know that, Trepe?"**_

"_**Have you even bothered to look at her face?"**_

"_**Nah…"**_

"_**Well, do it! She's terrified of her own father! I tell you it's not normal!"**_

"_**It's all in your overheated imagination, Trepe. She's agreed to go home with them."**_

"_**Huh? When did that happen!"** _

_The song was coming to an end, suddenly I was anxious to return to Sasha's side. Once the tune was over, Seifer did not release me completely, he simply kept his arm around me as we walked back to our table. Of course, everyone had to be there sitting and staring at us, and specially at Seifer's arm draped around my waist. I almost groaned out loud when I saw the look on Selphie's face. She was going to pester me to death. I knew it. I looked up at Seifer and gave him a very dirty look. He just smirked and bent his head to give me a peck on the jaw! I knew everyone (With the notable exception of Irvine and Squall) was regarding us avidly. Not wanting to continue with the show, I looked at Sasha only to find her looking at me with her usual hostility.(She seems to be okay with everyone else, what's her problem with me?) _

_It was as if I've imagined her terrified look from before! There she was, chattering with Selphie about their shopping expedition! As if she didn't have a dammed care in the world… (Great! Now Seifer had confirmation that I was imagining things!) _

_Even as I observed my friends antics and smiled at the things they said and did, I was puzzling over the relationship between Sasha and her parents. I could see that Rinoa was dragging a blushing Raijin to dance with her, and Xu had glued herself to Jackson Derlin or '_Jack'_ from the old C.C. group_._ I saw Selphie cut in on Nida and make away with Samuel! Nida just shrugged, then with an evil look on his face, he went to ask Zell for a dance making the poor guy choke on the huge bite of hot-dog he'd just taken. Nida finally absconded to the dance floor with a giggling Susana. Irvine was dancing with Sasha, while one of the card club _'Diamonds_', Sharme –I think– was flirting with Seifer! (Hyne! I can't believe she's so… so forward!)_

_At some point, only Sasha and I were seated at the table. Seifer was dancing with some giddy girl who'd come to our table to ask him. Suddenly, Sasha turned around and said to me coldly, **"You can't have him, you know? The knight is mine!"** I could only stare while she ranted on, **"He knows of you, Blue Witch, and he wants you! Once he has you, I will be free!"** The look in Sasha's eyes was strange, she seemed possessed to me! But who would believe me? Without any proof and with her parents seated only a couple of tables away? I grabbed her shoulders and said, **"Sasha! Snap out of it!"** Suddenly, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, and Seifer's voice asking me, **"What's going on, Instructor?"**_

_Irritated with myself and my inability to make head or tails of the situation, I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and replied that everything was fine. Perhaps everything was, and my mind was being overly active! I decided to get a breath of fresh air and went to the balcony. Planting myself on the corner that I knew would hide me from everyone's view, I took a deep breath and stared at the phosphorescent glow of the sea softly illuminated by the weak light of a waning moon. I knew something was not adding up, but how could I explain it? It was based more on a feeling than on any logic. I snorted. I would be the first one to doubt myself!_

_The first puzzle was Sasha herself. She was alive when we found her, but according to Seifer and Irvine's account, the other three had been killed (executed?) and turned into zombies… Why was she left alive? Or was it that we'd found her on time, and thus saved her life? Next was Sasha's mother, Mrs. Tavares. She seemed normal enough, but tonight was not the first time I've caught her giving Sasha weird looks and in truth, apart from sharing meals with her daughter did not even try to approach Sasha …And yet, there she was acting very wifely-like seated next to Mr. Tavares… _

_I sighed. Was I was the only one perplexed by the situation? The rest seemed to be okay with everything… I looked at my hands gripping the balcony rail and frowned for no reason. Suddenly two hands covered the balcony rail next to mine and I heard Seifer's voice asking me, **"Why the frown, Trepe?"** _

_I almost jumped out of my skin! Turning, I scowled at him before saying, **"Hyne, Seifer! Must you always be ambushing people!" **_

_I didn't want to answer his question. Knowing from experience how persistent he could be, I decided to change the subject. _

"_**You know? With all that's been going on, I've forgotten to congratulate you for making SeeD."** _

_I looked up into his face and held out my hand for a handshake, **"Congratulations, for a job well done, Seifer!"** _

_He looked at my hand with extreme distaste (Hyne! What's wrong with him!), and said, **"Save it, Trepe! I don't fuckin' want your condescending good wishes!"** He then gazed at me disdainfully before he added in a sneering voice,** "How quaint! The great instructor holding out her hand to congratulate her most difficult student in her prissy little SeeD uniform…"** _

_At that point, I've just about had enough of his attitude! After all, he was the one intruding on my space! I fisted one hand on my hips while I used the other to tap his chest to ask him angrily, **"What is your freaking problem?"** _

_Suddenly my back was shoved against the wall, as I felt his mouth crash into mine, hard and demanding. I couldn't fight back, the swiftness and suddenness of his move had knocked the breath out of me! And then I was too aflame by his fiery kiss to retaliate… After what seemed like aeons, he lifted his mouth barely an inch away from my swollen lips to whisper huskily, **"**_**You**_** are my problem."** _

_Dazed and unable to reply, I could only stare into his eyes which had darkened almost to a deep forest green. He angled my head and brought his mouth down again. His kiss was deep and hot, almost rough. The things he did with his tongue! The intensity of it sent flares coursing down my system, causing it to meltdown. At some point my arms must've crept around his back, beneath his uniform, because I could feel every inch of his sleek muscles as he clamped his arms around me and brought me from shoulder to thigh against the full length of him. _

_I gasped when I felt him through the barrier of our clothes. He lifted his head to stare at me briefly, before he bent his head and started to trail his open mouth up my throat, sending shivers down my spine. His lips reached my earlobe and as he nibbled it, he whispered huskily, **"Why the surprise?... Are you in need of **_**another_ anatomy lesson, Instructor?…"_**_ He lifted me so that our hips would grind against each other, making me gasp at the incredible feel of him pressing against my body's most sensitive spot. The move was so evocative of penetration that I moaned his name softly, like some mindless creature._

_Abruptly, as if all his patience had suddenly deserted him, he grabbed the back of my head and brought his mouth back to mine, kissing me hotly again and again. I forgot about breathing, I forgot about everything. I couldn't seem to get enough of him. I could feel his clever hands everywhere… I felt suffused with such heat! Nothing had ever prepared me for such pleasure, such a stunning flooding of the senses…  
_

"_**Seifer! Seifer! Where are you? …The Tavares are ready to leave, dear! Remember that you've promised to escort Sasha and her parents back to their hotel…"**_

_Matron's insistent voice calling out for Seifer brought me back to my senses, overloaded as they were by him. Even as he slowly released my lips and allowed my two feet to once again touch the ground… (I hadn't realized I had them wrapped around him!...) As air gradually began to fill my lungs again, and my legs were a bit more steady… I became conscious of the state of my attire! My uniform jacket was completely unbuttoned! My bra undone! My skirt was raised above my hips! I could feel his large hand still rubbing me beneath my panties as the other was cupping one of my breasts! Extremely mortified and embarrassed, (And feeling very achy and frustrated!) I shoved at him to let go. I saw him narrow his eyes, but he released me. _

_Looking towards the door, he said loud enough to be heard, **"Comin' Matron!"** Furiously trying to put my clothing into a semblance of order, I had fully expected him to simply turn his back on me and walk away, but he didn't. Instead, he lifted my chin to make me look at him and gave me a brief but very thorough kiss. (Hyne! But I could get used to this!) My legs were a bit unsteady when he raised his head and asked me softly, **"What're you gonna do about my problem, Quistis?" **He coolly buttoned his uniform jacket so it would conceal his very obvious arousal, and then he walked away._

_Hyne! How **does** he do it? Why do** I** let him! I've allowed Seifer Almasy take more liberties with my person in the past few weeks than anyone in my entire lifetime! Still standing on that balcony corner, I needed to come to terms with the fact that I've almost let him have me… Right there, in the middle of a party, with the balcony's doors flung wide open… Anyone could've walked in on us! Suddenly my eyes flared wide open… Did he just call me _'Quistis'_? For as long as I've known him, he had only called me Quistis once, when we were in the antechamber before teleporting to Hephaestus altar. It had always been _'Trepe'_ or _'Instructor'_, but never my given name…_

_I was not surprised to see Matron waiting for me when I finally stepped into the ballroom. I could see from her expression that she knew what had been going on in the balcony. I couldn't control it, I blushed profusely… Matron just smiled and placed her hand gently on mine, leading me to a secluded corner where I knew we would be able to speak without being overheard…_

"_**Quisty, my child…" **_

_I bowed my head down, **"I know Matron, we were way out of order…"**_

_Matron simply smiled again and said gently, **"Do you know that as children Seifer would always do things that made you cry? But you never would tattle on him, you just waited like the good little girl you were for him to be nicer… When that didn't happen, you would nag him into being nicer! The funny thing is that he couldn't stand it when others made you miserable! I still remember the time when Zell pulled one of your pigtails and made you cry. Seifer, he got so angry! He started to chase poor Zell all over the orphanage, with you running after them and screaming at Seifer at the top of your lungs to stop picking on Zell!"**_

"_**Matron, I don't remember…"**_

"_**It's alright, dear. What I'm trying to say and did not succeed very well is that you are both grown up now… and maybe Seifer is trying to get your attention in a different manner…"**_

"**_It has always been his mission in life to provoke me into losing my temper! …And I must admit that lately he's succeeded beyond his wildest dreams…"_**

"_**Dear, you don't seem to be getting my point…"**_

"**_Matron! Quisty!"_**

_I was glad that Selph called us … Matron was putting too many thoughts in my already overcrowded mind, thoughts that I knew would lead to nowhere._

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n: Rinoa's song, _**"Next To You"**_ is actually a song by _Bebel Gilberto_ from her album **_Bebel Gilberto_**


	28. End Of Day

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 27:** End of Day**

_Ebbene? Ne andrò lontana,  
Come va l'eco della pia campana…_  
–La Wally–

At nightfall, a slender figure clad in a very plain pair of jeans and a light jacket, tossed a package into the dark grounds below, then looking surreptitiously from left to right proceeded to climb nimbly out of the balcony through one of the creeping vines that abounded in the vicinity. The figure moved with the ease and the familiarity of long sustained practice. Once down, it picked up the dropped package, which was in reality a backpack, slung it over slender shoulders and proceeded to leave the palatial grounds.

Although full of regret, the figure did not look back. Not even once.

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden, The Leonhart's Living Quarters –_

"Gussie! Ely!" Rinoa yelled at the children, "Please, wash up! It's almost dinner time."

" 'Kay, mom!"

"What's for dessert, Aunty Rina?"

Rinoa stared with amusement at Eleazar Dincht's eager face. He was a composite picture of Zuleima and Zell, but his stomach was pure Dincht! She reached out a hand to rumple his already tousled blonde hair.

"It's a surprise! Now go!"

"Awww, mom! I tol' ya she would say that!"

"Hey, Gus! Race ya to the bathroom!"

"No fair, Ely! You always get a head start!"

Squall was entering the living area when the two boys careened past him.

"Hiya, Dad!"

"Yo, Uncle Squall!"

Rinoa couldn't help but giggle at the stunned expression in Squall's usually stoic face. She was about to do her motherly thing and yell at Gussie to be more careful, when she heard the door chimes… Since Ty would be staying over with Dr. Kadowaki in Balamb, it was probably Foehnny …forgotten his entry code again. Sighing, Rinoa went to open the door for her eldest son.

"Foehnny! … Gabriel! Come in."

"Hiya, Mom!" Foehn gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek, then in a more subdued tone he addressed his father, "Dad." Squall just nodded in his son's direction.

Gabriel smiled at both of them before bending down to allow Rinoa to kiss his cheek.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Aunt Rina, but Uncle Squall called …"

Squall interrupted him, "Gabriel. Follow me."

As Gabriel followed Squall into his 'office' away from the office, he could hear Foehn speaking to his mother in a half-cajoling, half-whining tone.

"Mom, did ya make my favourite dish? I'm starving! Y'know? That diet..."

Squall closed the door to this study and turned to look at Gabriel.

"I have a job for you. You're to investigate the strange disappearances occurring in Minos. I want Hideyoshi to accompany you, as well. You will need her special skills. You assigned her to work with you on the Wallace case, correct?"

"Yes, sir. But as you know, that case remains unresolved. All we've done was media cover-up."

"Nonetheless, the Duke was extremely pleased with your performance. Asking Tissot himself to plant the false story to the media was very clever."

"After he recovered from the shock, Tissot proved to be very helpful. He wants us to find the perpetrators."

"After reviewing the information you submitted to us, both your father and I believe the incidents in Minos and Dollet are somewhat interconnected. I've tried to get some information from General Caraway but he's been very closed-mouth about it."

Squall saw Gabriel narrow his eyes and understood his sentiment.

"Precisely. The fact that Caraway is not saying anything about it should be a cause of concern."

"What's dad's opinion?"

Amusement crept into Squall's eyes, "I quote, 'Old fucker's hiding something big!'"

"Yeah, sounds like dad…"

"Your mother is quite concerned as well, she finds the similarities in killing styles very disturbing. Have you asked her about her journals yet?"

A blush crept up Gabriel's countenance, "Err… no, sir!"

Squall stared at the young man knowingly, understanding his reticence, "Make sure you do. You should at least read the entries concerning their Centra mission. It will save us a lot of explaining." At Gabriel's expression he added with a slight smile, "And no, I have never read your mother's journal, but I was present during her thorough briefing."

To cover for his unexpected embarrassment, Gabriel asked, "When did you speak with mom and dad? When I tried to contact them to tell them about Ella's mishap, they'd already left for the Presidential Palace. And you know how dad is, he hates any kind of communicators and… "

"I know. Only call his car comm if anyone died…" Squall smiled briefly and went on, "Seifer contacted me from the Presidential Palace. Have you read Xander's report?"

"Yes, I have." Gabriel expression turned curious.

"Well, a similar monster attacked your parents at around 19:00 hours in the middle of the highway near Esthar City Limits." Squall raised an eyebrow at Gabriel's frown, "You doubt your parent's ability to defend themselves?"

"What? Oh, no sir! I was just surprised at the timing of the attack. As you know, Ella, Twy and Tyrrell were attacked by a T-Rexaur today…"

"I see where you're going, they were attacked by the T-Rex in the middle of the road…"

"As far as I know, this is the first time something like this has ever occurred. T-Rexaurs dislike being in the open field preferring the denser forests around Alcaud plains."

"Hmm… Right after you contacted us, Tyrrell called as well and described the incident to me in detail." Squall looked at Gabriel straight in the eye, "The more reason we need to get to the bottom of this. You and Hideyoshi will pose as a couple from Windhill on your honeymoon." He paused to gauge Gabriel's reaction. "You don't have a problem with this arrangement do you?"

Squall knew that Gabriel and Ahnyang had had some issues during the Dollet mission. They didn't come out and said it, but it was readable between the lines of the reports they both submitted. Ahnyang had complained in her report that at times the Squad Leader had made her work more difficult by putting on too many restrictions and controls on her movements. Gabriel had noted in his that Hideyoshi's failure to procure proper authorization to proceed with a task and her inability to follow precise orders could seriously jeopardize Code "A" missions, because she would be operating with incomplete information. Nothing major, but still he needed them to focus on the mission.

Gabriel scowled but replied, "No, sir."

"Good. Hideyoshi is the most suitable agent for this mission. I've already made reservations for you at the _Grand Minos Hotel and Spa_, the site of the last publicized disappearance. Mole shall be providing the tech-support directly from T-Garden. I want you and Hideyoshi in my office tomorrow morning at 06:30 to receive further mission details. I expect you both to be deployed before noon."

"Yes, sir. I will notify Hideyoshi."

Squall nodded at Gabriel's words and was about to open his study door, when he thought about something.

"Any news from Mole?"

Gabriel knew exactly what his Commander was asking about.

"No, sir. All matches returned negative." Upon their return from Dollet, Gabriel had asked that Squall allow him to continue searching for Wallace's killers. "But perhaps we've been tackling the problem the wrong way…"

Squall looked at the young man pensively, "Explain."

"I've been researching into all magazines and papers dedicated to the mysterious and the occult and I've instructed Mole to search the newswires for any rumours of unconfirmed disappearances, since official databases would only contain…"

"Official releases…" Squall looked at Gabriel understanding dawning in his eyes, "Very well, just keep me posted." He went to open the door just in time to hear Rinoa yelling from the kitchen.

"Foehnny! Don't touch that, it'll ruin your dinner! …Gabe, honey! You're having dinner with us!"

Apparently, Rinoa had heard Squall opening his door to let himself and Gabriel out of his study. Since it was not really a question, Gabriel merely raised his voice slightly and said, "Uh! Thanks Aunt Rina."

§ § §

–_Trabia Garden _–

…_Sylvie's Quarters_

"Okay Mei, tell me EVERYTHING! Don't leave _anything_ out! You've been holding out on me, girlfriend!"

… … …

"Woo! You mean from Dollet already? And YOU KEPT THAT JUICY STUFF TO YOURSELF?"

… … …

"Yeah, yeah…excuses, excuses! See if I tell ya stuff!"

… … …

"Awww! Really? Are you sure Ahn was in her room by herself?"

… …

"Tch! How disappointing! Did you get her at least to tell ya what they talked about?"

… … …

"That's it! But that's sooo boring! Yeah, I can so see Ahn doing somethin' as uncool as that! Y'know? Here you are with a guy who's hot as hell and what d'ya do … discuss some boooring ol' mission!"

… … …

"Yeah! You're right, Mei! We need to get that girl's gear in place! D'you have any candidates in line?"

… … …

"What? Foehnny? Nah… I don't see it …He would drive her crazy! Think 'bout somebody else…"

… … …

"Really? Mission with Foehnny …where?"

… … …

"Timber City _and_ Odel Town? Don't tell me …you guys babysittin'! Awww! They're so cute when they're rookies! I'm goin' on a mission too! Mom's asked me to help out Xander and I get to see my honey!

… … …

"She got a call from Uncle Seif…"

… … …

" 'Cuz I was there! Woo! He looked sooo good in that tux, I can see where Gabe got his hot looks! –**_Giggles_**– Y'know he calls my mom 'MG'? I wonder what it stands for…"

… … …

"Yeah…you're right, they go way _way_ back! Hard to believe, though, they all look sooo young! More like our brothers and sisters than parents, ya know? Oh, well! When are you guys leaving for FRT?"

… … …

"Oh, me too! It gives me more than enough time to hassle Mole 'bout the Racing Dome and finalize some stuff for the Festival… Hey, Mei! Now that I think 'bout it, you can make it to the _Krazie&Posh_ sale! Don't forget to pick up somethin' up for me!"

… … …

"Yup, we'll both work on that! How 'bout you? D'you have someone in mind?"

… … …

"Huh? I don't remember meeting this person…Send me their pic!"

… … …

"Yeah, okay! Operation: Get a Date-For-Ahn for the upcoming Garden Festival!"

§

…_Sub-Level Computer Labs, Access Restricted_

Mole was in his element, he was inside a room full of the world's coolest equipment without anyone to bug him! He decided to check into that Racing Dome thingy that Sylvie wanted him to look into or she would make his life miserable come morning. He tapped a couple of keys and sure enough the yellow and black screen came up:

–**_Flash_**– Centra Chocobo Racing Dome **_–Flash–_**

WELCOME

Login: - - - - - - - - - - - -

Password: - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mole looked at the screen and thought it was a pretty simple hack, he knew Sylvie to be a pretty good hacker herself and wondered why she was unable to penetrate such a simple barrier. He just run his usual algorithms, when suddenly one of his warning flags started blipping like crazy, –**_Huh?_**– He hit a key and looked thoughtfully at the seemingly simple screen… **_'Wow! This might actually prove to be a fun exercise after all!'_** And settled down to do battle with the virtual guardian beast…

§

…_The Kinneas-Tilmitt Living Quarters_

Selphie looked pensively at the blank screen she'd just recently turned off, for once not feeling her usual effervescent self. The little 'chat' she'd just had with Squall and Seifer troubled her greatly. They had all been expecting this, had in fact prepared themselves and their own children for it, but now that it was almost upon them, she feared that the reality would be something beyond what any of them could imagine…

"Darlin'? You alright?"

Irvine wrapped his arms around his petite wife, and bent to kiss the top of her head with great tenderness. Selphie closed her eyes and buried her head on his warm shoulder hugging him tightly in the process.

"Irvy, I'm scared." She whispered into his chest.

It was not an easy admission for the Commander of Trabia Garden to make, but she was not feeling very commander-like right now, she was just feeling like Selphie, a human being assailed by all those fears so characteristic of the species.

"Quistis."

He felt her nod and tightened his grip on her. He knew Selphie to be more sensitive to magic than most, but not being a sorceress she was not truly equipped to deal with it like Rinoa or Matron or even Ellone. Any disturbance on that plane bothered her greatly.

"Darlin' you should've taken Zul up on her offer long time ago. She would've trained you to deal with it properly … You know she's sensitive like you, maybe even more…"

"Irvy! Now's not the time to nag, and it's not that …You heard them the same as me! It's just like the time when you and Seify became SeeD! Quisty's in grave danger!"

He was incredulous, "D'you really think she cannot defend herself or that Seif will…"

She interrupted him, "I'm afraid for him too… This is _big_! I can _feel_ it!" To Irvine's great distress, she broke down and cried.

Irvine ran a comforting hand down her back, "They won't be alone, baby, they've got us. Did they invoke Code Blue?"

She took a deep breath, "No. Not yet."

"So it's not so bad…"

She looked up at him, "No, there's time …and I'm sending Syl to backup our son."

" –**_Humph_**– Our littl' darlin' must've been delighted…"

That sparkled a glimmer of amusement in her emerald eyes as he'd hoped, "Yeah… Her 'honey' Rei's there! Remind ya of ol' times, doesn't it Irvy-Poo?"

He grumbled good-naturedly, "Don't remind me, babe, that's_ my__ daughter_ you're talkin' about!"

§ § §

–_Esthar City, Piet Residence –_

Ellone stared fondly at her husband's rather austerely handsome face and military bearing, and sighed. No one looking at Johannes could ever believe that he actually possessed a very acute sense of humour. He always seemed to look so, so …severe! The very first impression she had of him with his serious mien and his platinum blonde hair had made her think that he was around Uncle Laguna's age! Of course, upon closer inspection she'd realized he was no older than she was!

"So, tell me Johan, what were you and Seifer discussing with so much intensity that he even forgot to scowl when the Duke whisked Quisty into a waltz?"

Olive green eyes stared at her with amusement shining in their depths, "Are you sure you want to hear about it, Elle?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Just tell me!"

"We were discussing various ways to modify _Hyperion_ so that it would perform even better…"

"Alright! Stop! Don't wanna hear about it!" She placed her hands playfully over her ears, even as large brown eyes stared at him full of mischief.

Johan gently pried her hands away and bent to kiss her tenderly on the nose, "Your turn. Tell me, Elle, the arrival of Seifer and Quistis with the Duke distracted me, but now I'm quite curious …Why did all of you become so suddenly engrossed staring at a brown haired woman during the reception?"

"W-what?"

"You heard me."

To Johan's utter surprise Ellone blushed a deep red, before mumbling, "You wouldn't understand…"

He took her hand and guided her to sit by him on their living room sofa, "Try me, love."

"Well…" She stared at him surreptitiously, "You're a scientist…"

He raised a perfectly arched platinum blonde eyebrow, "Out with it!"

She got up and twisted her hands in agitation, "Oh! All right! For a moment we all thought she was Raine! Satisfied?"

He just stared blankly at his wife's indignant face, and asked, "Raine, like in Laguna's Raine, Squall's…"

She placed her hands defiantly on her hips and stared down a him even as she cut him tersely, "Yes!"

Johan really tried, he truly did, but he was unable to contain himself. He laughed out loud. Ellone stared at him balefully, **_'Oooh! I just knew it, I knew he would laugh at me!'_** She launched herself at him and started to thump his heaving chest.

"Ouch!"

"Serves you right! You nasty, man! Laughing at me!"

Suddenly, she found herself under him. He was no longer laughing, but amusement was all over his face.

"I'm sorry, sweetness." He bent down to kiss her, "Forgive me?"

"Prove you're sorry!"

Johan smiled down at his wife, it transformed his entire face, "I'm a scientist, remember? Proofs are my specialty…"

§ § §

– _Esthar Garden, The Almasy Living Quarters _–

Quistis drew the edges of her robe closer together, she was exhausted but she'd been unable to sleep. She didn't want to admit it but she was extremely worried for her children. She knew Gabriel was more than capable of taking care of himself _and_ of Ella, but she couldn't help herself, they were her children, her _babies _…If baffled her sometimes how irrational she could be! –_Snort_– Gabriel and Eleanor would laugh at her if they knew what she was thinking… Both she and Seifer had made a conscious effort not to smother them when they were growing up. It'd been really hard sometimes, like the time when Gabriel had returned home with a bloody nose and a black eye, he'd only been six years old and so …so proud of himself! It frightened her sometimes how similar he was to his father…

…

"_Gabriel! Baby! What happened to you? Tell mommy!"_

_She'd run to give him a hug, but he'd refused to be coddled telling her as cool as you please, "Someone called me _'pretty'_ so I socked him one, mom!"_

_After getting over her initial fright, she was trying now very hard not to smile at his serious little face. He'd crossed his arms over his chest in imitation of his father's usual stance when he was annoyed. Except for his pout, he could be his father all over._

"_Dear, what do daddy and I tell you all the time?"_

_He recited as if by rote, "I'm to avoid fightin' an'…but mom! dad said I could defend myself!"_

"_Oh! He did, did he?" _

_Gabriel nodded his head covered with a shock of silky ash blonde hair, "I was just defending myself an' it's okay, mom, I wasn't fightin' someone smaller, it was Peter Lewis. He's eight." A wide smile illuminated his face, "I used all the moves Uncle Wuss taught me and I trashed him good!"_

_She took her son by the hand and went down so they could be at eye level. Two identical pairs of azure eyes stared at each other._

"_Gabriel," She said, "I'm not very happy that you hit someone just because they said you were pretty."_

"_But, mom! I don't like it! I warned him to stop calling me that an' he wouldn't, he just kept saying it over an' over again!" Then he paused to demand, "An' I wanna haircut! All this hair's makin' me look like a_** girl**_!" He said the last word with a sneer._

_Quistis stared a her beautiful little boy trying hard not to sigh, she knew one day it would come to this, he was too much like Seifer to take what he considered to be an insult lying down… _

…

"Quis!"

That was Seifer bellowing from the bedroom, he was always like this when he woke to find her gone from bed. Sighing, she returned to the bedroom, she knew from experience that if she didn't, he would come and get her. Sure enough, as she made to enter the bedroom she almost collided with him.

"Seifer! Can't you be more patient?"

Without replying, he made her gasp by whisking her robe off before he scooped her up in his arms and finally saying "You were taking too long, Trepe… I was feeling kinda lonely all by myself…"

She laced her arms around his neck, and gave him a swift kiss, "I was just thinking about our children and how I miss both of them."

Seifer placed Quistis gently in bed, and quickly got in beside her hugging her in the process, knowing without being told that she needed the close contact. Hell, _he_ needed it, he needed to feel her next to him.

"They're both able fighters, Quis."

She caressed his chest absently, "They've both inherited my blue magic abilities…"

He took her hand and kissed its palm before replying, "Then you know how powerful they can be." He turned them around so she was lying beneath him taking care not to crush her, "Ella's just learning, but you've witnessed our son's _Shinjinenbu Blast_, that's one hell of a limit break!"

She cradled his beloved face in the palms of her hands, and reached up to give him another quick kiss, "I'm their mother, I have a right to worry about them."

Intense sea-green eyes stared at her in comprehension, "I'm your husband," he told her hoarsely, "I have the urge to make love to you…"

§ § §

–_Balamb City, Dincht Residence_–

Zuleima sighed as she read over the missives from the health clinic board of directors. They were _'asking'_ the organization to cut some of the services they provided for the community, because they wanted to reallocate some of the budget to _'more urgent needs'_… She shut off the screen and stood up to stare blindly out the window. It was dark outside. Not for the first time she pondered on the shortcomings of a surface society which had managed to conquer most diseases but somehow had been unable to transcend prejudice and intolerance towards those perceived to be weaker or different, **_'They cure the body but cannot handle the spirit…'_** Suddenly, two strong arms encircled her waist while a husky voice whispered against her ear.

"Baby, I'm home."

She smiled and turned in his arms to face him. They were exactly the same height, so it was easy to find his lips. After a nice long kiss, she said to him.

"Welcome home, Zell Dincht."

She heard Zell mumble something undistinguishable before he buried his mouth on her neck.

"Zell." He'd located one of her weak spots behind her ear. Desperately suppressing a delicious shiver, she poked at him to let go, "Zell, did you speak to Squall and Seifer?"

He scowled but raised his head and released her to say, "Yeah, I did. They're sending Gabe and Ahn to investigate the disappearances in Minos, Xander, Rei and Zol are to stay in Windhill, and Syl's going there in a couple of days to provide the boys with some desperately needed tech support. Oh… and Ely's sleeping over at Rina's."

"A fair exchange because Tyrrell is with us tonight."

"Oh, I thought he was staying over at Dr. Kadowaki's?"

"Twyla ended staying there with Eleanor, so I offered our hospitality to Tyrrell." She smiled, "I think he likes Eleanor. He's certainly very protective of her, although she's a very capable young lady."

"Huh? Better keep that littl' bit of info to yourself Zul, or that assho…"

"Zell!"

He grinned at her, his light blue eyes full of mischief as his arm seized her waist again to pin her against him, "Aw, baby! You know how Seif and I call each other!"

"Lower your voice! The twins are asleep! You know how difficult it was to make them go to bed?"

"How 'bout Ty?"

"In Zoltan's room."

"Good!"

After saying that, he lifted up and smothered whatever she was going to say with a deep kiss that made Zuleima lace her arms around his neck. He started walking to their bedroom…

"EEEEEK!"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Eeeek, Daddy! Daddy!"

"Mommy!"

"Daddy!"

Two little voices screamed at the top of their lungs, Zell quickly let Zuleima down on her feet and they both ran into the twin's room, each going quickly to hug a sobbing twin.

"What's going on!"

It was Tyrrell, his boxer shorts barely on, but _Griever_ was held securely in his grip ready for any contingency. He saw the twins securely clasped in their parent's arms and was about to leave the room when one of twins looked up and said extending her arms:

"Ty! Wanna hug from Ty!"

The other twin was not about to miss out so she held out her arms and screamed:

"Me too! Me too!"

Red in the face, but used to the twins' antics, Tyrrell went and gave each little girl a hug, kissing gently the top of each blonde head.

Zuleima smiled at him, "Thank you, Tyrrell."

He tried not to blush again, even as he acknowledged Aunt Zul's words. He'd just realized he was almost naked. After Tyrrell left the room, Zuleima asked the little girls.

"What made you cry, my darlings?"

"It was the…"

"…baddie!"

They started to cry again, whatever it was that had awakened them was causing them a great distress.

"Darlings, it's alright mommy and daddy are here…"

"Yeah! Daddy will make the baddie go away…!"

Zuleima knew that Zell was almost as distressed as the twins, he hated to see any of his children upset, but specially the twins. The little girls huddled closer to their parents and started sniffing.

"Baddie _–Sniff– _wants…"

"…to take _–Sniff–_ us away!"

"Hey! Nobody's takin' my two little girls! Who would give Daddy his twenty kissies in the morning?" Zell put on his best woe-gone face and even pouted.

The sniffles became muffled giggles as they both tried to console Zell by kissing him now. It soon became a competition.

"Whoa! Whoa! Save some for tomorrow, munchkins!" Cried the besieged father. With the resilience so characteristic of the very young, the two little girls recovered from their bad dream.

"Come now! I think for tonight you both get to sleep on the big bed!"

Zuleima was extremely worried after hearing the twin's words, but made an effort to push that worry aside for the moment. Right now she needed to focus on reassuring her young daughters _and _their father. At her words, the little girls fought to untangle themselves from their parents' arms, and before Zell could get over his astonishment, two little tornadoes were racing towards the master bedroom.

"I'm gonna get there first, Melly!"

"No! I'm gonna be first, Zelly!"

"No! Me first!"

"No! Me…!"

§

_...Much later_

Zell stared at his two little daughters sleeping peacefully, cuddled securely between Zuleima and himself. Their cry of acute distress had paralyzed him for a split second before the same deep seated fear made him run to their room. He lifted a hand to caress Melly's small blonde head with all the tenderness he felt; he knew it was Melly because she still sucked her thumb while she slept. Only Zul was able to distinguish between his two little drops of honey. He looked at his wife, to find her staring at him with a worried look in her beautiful golden eyes. Suddenly he needed to ask her something he'd held inside his heart for a long time.

"Zuleima," he whispered, "Do you ever regret leaving Baal?"

She kissed the top of Zelly's head gently, and looked directly into his eyes to reply.

"I would regret not being with you more, Zell Dincht…"

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

_Well? I will go far away,  
As far as the echo of the sacred bell…_

– Excerpt from the opera _La Wally_ by Alfredo Catalani

(Libretto and translation taken from Operaheb(dot)co(dot)il


	29. This Is Not The End

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

_¿Desde cuándo te empecé a amar?  
¿Desde cuándo te empecé a amar?  
La la la la…Oooh, oooh…_

_Dime cuándo comenzó el dolor  
Dime cuándo comenzó el dolor  
La la la la…Oooh, oooh…_

_Amores Perros, amores perros_

– Ely Guerra –

Chapter 28:** This Is Not The End**

– _06.05.23 AU – Balamb Garden SeeD Quarters –_

Thin slits of morning sunlight penetrated through the blinds and touched Ahnyang Hideyoshi's face, stirring her slowly awake. Sighing, she readjusted her cheek on the warmth of her pillow. **_ –Hmmn–_** It was so warm and so hard. She heard the steady beat of her own heart, even as she listened to another beat… slowly lulling her back to sleep… **_ –Hmmn– _**Another heartbeat… Suddenly her eyes flared open, only to stare at her own hand nestled on the slight blonde fuzz that covered the expanse of a beautifully muscled golden chest. She could feel something solid and heavy draped possessively across her back …and she was, naked? Her mind completely cleared of sleep, she craned her neck up and met the full power of Gabriel Almasy's deep blue gaze. He was wide awake and was staring at her with amusement…the bastard! **_'Probably used to this,'_** She thought sourly.

Ahnyang was in a bit of a dilemma, if she got up he would see her bare breasts, but if she stayed where she was… They happened to be plastered to his naked chest! The choice was taken out of her when a warm hand cradled her face, lifting it for an incredibly hot tongue-thrusting open-mouthed kiss! She was still trying to gather her wits together, when the warm covers were wrenched from her and she felt a hard slap on the butt as he said, "Rise and shine, Hideyoshi! We're to report to the commander's office in less than thirty minutes!"

"What?"

Not caring that she was now giving him a full frontal view of all her charms, she got up on her hands and knees to glare at him and say accusingly, "You bastard! Why didn't you wake me up sooner!" Then suddenly, she gulped, her eyes the size of saucers as her mouth hung open, her gaze travelling down his body. Gabriel Almasy was standing in front of her completely in the nude and looking supremely unconcerned, as if he did that everyday. Hyne Dammit! The bastard was beautiful! …Everywhere! She felt a blush travel all the way from her hair to her toes as she said to him in a strangled voice, "For Hyne's sake, cover yourself!"

He just arched an eyebrow over sky-blue eyes. Gabriel could feel himself harden as he let his gaze travel lazily over her smooth nude body in obvious enjoyment at what he saw, even as he said suavely, "Stop being such a prudish bitch Hideyoshi, specially after last night … Unless …that pose happens to be an invitation?" Ahnyang had been so fascinated staring at his body, that she hadn't realized she was kneeling on all fours. With a suppressed oath she grabbed the bed sheet he'd so carelessly tossed aside, and proceeded to cover herself with it. "Bastard! You did that on purpose!" In her struggles to wound the large sheet completely around her slender frame and to tame her long hair, which was trailing wildly all over the place, she failed to notice that Gabriel had finished dressing and was closing in on her.

"W-What? …What the hell are you doing? … Almasy! …Let me dowmmmMMmm … hmmn … …" The sheet was wrenched from her body a second time, and a pair of brawny arms scooped her up to carry her to the bathroom. Once there, her mouth was seized again for another searing kiss, before he allowed her on her feet, "Shut up and shower, Hideyoshi. You have less than twenty minutes now to report to duty."

After saying that, he left.

§ § §

–_Balamb Garden, Gabriel Almasy's Quarters–_

He'd broken a cardinal rule he'd set out for himself: Not to get involved with anyone in Garden! It was just not worth all the trouble! How the fuck did he allow it to happen? And with someone who was best friends with Meijin _and_ Sylvie! He knew from the moment he'd set eyes on her that she'd be trouble, but now that he'd had a taste of her… there was no fucking way he'd stop himself from going back for a second helping …and many more. Many,_ many_ more.

She'd intrigued him from day one, but he'd thought –arrogantly– that he had everything under control. When he found himself thinking about her in the middle of a mission for no reason whatsoever, he knew he was in trouble. The attraction between the two of them was potent. Maybe had it just been him, it would've been easier to resist, but she'd wanted him too. Gabriel grimaced when he thought of Foehn, he hoped he didn't have to hurt his childhood friend… He decided to tell Foehn that from today on, Hideyoshi was off limits.

It hadn't been his original intention to spend the night in her bed, hell, all he'd wanted was to alert her of their mission and their meeting with the Commander, but somehow he got sidetracked …It must've been the sight of all that dark inky hair streaming down that luscious body and the heat that had flashed out of those almond eyes …and now that it had happened he didn't regret it. The bitch was hot! She'd been so aggressive that it had surprised him to find her intact, but then…with her sour disposition… Who would've dared? He'd had to restrain her when she'd slammed herself down his full length. The feel of her was indescribable! He'd noticed her grimace of pain when he felt her barrier give way. It had taken all of his control to force her to stop, to allow her body the time to adjust to his deep penetration, when all he truly wanted was for her to ride him wildly… In any case, she'd be sore today for sure. Too bad about that, he wouldn't have minded giving her a practical demonstration of the wonders of showering together… '**_I wouldn't be taking this cold shower now…'_**

Gabriel stepped out of the shower and towelled himself dry. In less than five minutes he was fully dressed in his SeeD uniform and halfway to the Commander's office.

§ § §

– _Balamb Garden Ahnyang Hideyoshi's Quarters –_

Ahnyang took a careful inventory of herself in the shower. Apart from feeling a very distinct soreness between her thighs and the presence of muscles she'd never felt before, she seemed to be all in one piece. She'd expected some pain, but the sharp sting of his penetration had surprised her, **_–Humph–_** perhaps it shouldn't have …now she _knew_ the bastard was impressive everywhere. She let the warm shower water pour down her face, and down her body… Hyne! She'd _allowed_ that bastard to fuck her brains out last night.

Of course she'd been attracted to him from the very first meeting. The force of the attraction had shocked her. She'd been attracted to other people before, but the mild curiosity that had characterized such attachments usually faded when she got to know them better. Not so with that bastard, his pull on her senses was devastating, outside the realm of reason and logic! In the beginning she'd tagged it onto his good looks, **_–Sigh– _**such an old excuse, not to mention a lame one as well… But she'd been in the middle of a mission, she didn't have the time to be mooning over her squad leader, of all people! Maybe had theirs been a normal team-leader to team-member relationship, she wouldn't had reacted so badly to his criticisms. She'd worked with total assholes before and their comments had not ever bothered her. She'd just done her job and let her record stand for itself, but apparently unsatisfied lust made things more complicated.

She should've known better than to follow him out of the cafeteria yesterday, but her curiosity had been her undoing…

…

_They'd walked in silence until they reached the relative seclusion of the Eastern Quad, which had a view of the mountains. Most people preferred the other Quad, because of its breathtaking view of the sea. As they were walking, Ahnyang felt the stares of people; some were curious, many envious… _

"_Don't let it bother you." _

_There was a distinct undertone of amusement in Gabriel's voice._

"_How can you stand it?"_

_She'd looked up at his impassive face curiously. He'd shrugged powerful shoulders._

"_You get used to it."_

_They stopped when they reached the observatory, beneath the shade of a massive tree._

"_Well?" She prompted, they were there at **his** request. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his answer. It was swift in coming. Almasy was not known for his timidity, if anything he was known in Garden for tackling problems head on._

"_We'll probably have to work with each other again in the future, don't you think we should clear up some _**issues**_ between us?"_

_She'd been staring off into the distance trying to act cool, but the moment she heard his question and the emphatic way he said 'issues' she'd known immediately what he meant; however, she chose to ignore it because she hadn't wanted to deal with the situation yet. Apart from the occasional glimpse in the cafeteria, they had successfully managed to avoid each other ever since their return to Garden. She turned to look into his face._

"_Name one, Almasy."_

_She knew she was not being very cooperative, his eyes had narrowed in obvious displeasure._

"_Allow me to show you instead…"_

_Quick as lightning, he seized her waist with his arm pulling her body flush against his, trapping her hands, which she had held up in pure reflex, against his chest. His other hand held her head in place as his mouth descended on hers. As with his previous kiss, a wave of pure pleasure coursed down her veins, making her open her mouth wider to allow him to deepen the caress. A few seconds later, he raised his head but did not relinquish his hold on her._

"_Do you get it now?"_

"_No. I need you to show me more."_

_Standing on her toes, she'd reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck drawing his golden head down to hers for another sizzling kiss._

…

She shook her head at the hot memory. They would've probably gone further than a little kissing had Gabriel not been interrupted by the incessant blip of his comm unit. His sister had been injured, but Dr. Kadowaki had taken care of everything, he just needed to notify the commander and his parents. Ahnyang blushed when she remembered the kiss he'd given her before he left…

What **_was_** it about Almasy? All the bastard had to do was **_look_** at her to turn to mush! Like last night, he'd come over to let her know about their new mission and somehow they had ended up all over each other… In spite of herself, she felt a blush suffusing her face, the incredible explosion of the senses had been so unexpected, had he not smothered her cry with his mouth, all of Garden would've heard! …_**'Shit, Hideyoshi! Pull yourself together, you've got a meet with Commander Squall in less than ten minutes!'** _

Ahnyang sighed, there was no point in obsessing over the bastard or in trying to figure out the why or how it happened because it already did… The saddest part of it all was that she might be joining the ranks of all those people who lusted after the arrogant jerk …Except that she'd rather kiss a Malboro than allowing him or anyone else know about it!

§ § §

– _Balamb Garden, by the Central Library –_

Gabriel made his way to the set of stairs that would lead to the main lift, his mind already on logistics of the mission ahead. They would probably be boarding the afternoon bullet train express from Balamb to Deling, and from Deling rent a vehicle to get to the town of Minos. They should be checking into the hotel by late afternoon, at the latest. As he waited for the lift, he spotted Hideyoshi hurrying to catch up with him. –**_Scoff_**– In typical fashion, she was wearing the male version of the SeeD uniform. Who was she fucking trying to fool?

"Hideyoshi, I see you made it on time."

That only got him a glare from her.

"Not thanks to you, Almasy."

The elevator doors glided open and they both went inside. They rode the lift up to the Commander's office in absolute silence. Ahnyang tried to not look at him, she knew that if she did something stupid would happen, like her blushing as she recalled all the things they did last night. Gabriel fixed his eyes on her and thought that she looked like a damn model for the SeeD regulation manual! Her long hair was once again restrained in a long braid, her uniform starched to death and in pristine condition. She was gazing straight ahead. If he had the time he would've loved to make her look dishevelled, but the elevator doors were already gliding open into the receiving area before the Commander's office.

"Hey, Gabe! Hello, Ahnyang! The commander's waiting for you."

"Good morning, sir!"

" 'Morning Ren! Do I smell coffee brewing around here?"

"Sure! Help yourself to a cup, boy!"

Gabriel smiled at Reinaldo Zuleiga, the SeeD that acted as assistant to B-Garden's Commander. He used to be '**_Club_**', a member of his mother's legendary C.C. group, and the best babysitter ever! Good ol' Ren would practically let all the children under his supervision do anything they wanted.

Ahnyang stared at the easy relationship Almasy had with the commander's secretary, **_'Of course, he practically grew up here!'_**…

"How 'bout you Hideyoshi? Want a cup?"

She snapped out of her reverie, "No. Thank you."

Gabriel frowned at her formal manner, but before he could say anything, the door to the commander's office opened and Squall was there inviting them inside.

"Ahnyang, Gabriel, come inside!"

As they entered the commander's office he could sense Hideyoshi becoming stiffer beside him. Curious he looked in her direction and his eyes widened when he spotted Aunt Xu. He couldn't help but blurt out.

"Aunt Xu! What're you doing here?"

She smiled at him and replied, "What? I can't come over and check-out the hottest guy in Garden?"

To his great annoyance, he blushed at her bluntness even as he inclined his head so the petite woman could give him a loud smack on the cheek.

"Xu, I don't need to introduce the other member of this mission."

Ahnyang bowed deeply and said stiffly, "Mother. Commander Leonhart."

The effusive Xu became serious and just nodded a greeting at her own daughter, ignoring the obvious surprise in Gabriel's beautiful blue eyes. However, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly when she noticed the body language between Gabriel and her daughter. Was she imagining things or did Gabe just move his body protectively closer to Ahnyang's? –Oh, well …_Che sera, sera_…

"Gabe, I was entrusted by your mother to deliver this to you in person." She grabbed his hand and pressed a microchip onto his palm. "Quistis wants you to read it with great care."

Gabriel stared at the tiny object on the palm of his hand and knew what she was referring to: his mother's journal. He just nodded his head without saying anything, he was still reeling from the shock of finding out that she was Xu's daughter! Hideyoshi was not an uncommon name in Trabia, so he'd never even associated them together. She didn't look even remotely like Aunt Xu! Squall interrupted his thoughts with his clipped voice.

"Now, for mission details…"

§

…_Afterwards_

They were walking together in silence. After the meeting, when they have left Squall conferring with Xu, Ahnyang had tried to put a distance between them but he had stopped that by simply clamping his hand on her upper arm. She'd tried to pry her arm loose, but had been unsuccessful. It was obvious that glaring at him would accomplish nothing, so she'd just let herself be steered into the cafeteria. She was immensely thankful that it was sufficiently early for the crowd here to be quite thin.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He hadn't spoken a word to her until now.

"Tell you what?"

"That you were Xu's daughter."

"I wasn't aware that it was a secret."

"You don't look like her."

She didn't reply, but tried to shake loose from his hold again. To her surprise, he released her, then she realized they were at the counter. One of the ladies there winked flirtatiously at him, before looking at her inquiringly.

"Coffee and toast, please."

"You need to eat more than that Hideyoshi if you want to keep up with me."

She ignored his innuendo and grabbed her tray. She sat on the first empty table she saw, hoping that he would sit elsewhere, like on that other table with those two girls who'd been drooling at him ever since he'd entered the cafeteria. Not a chance. A tray filled to the brim with food and drink was deposited beside hers. Ignoring the empty seat in front, he chose to sit on the one right next to her. She stared daggers at him, the cafeteria might not be as busy as usual, but the few people that _were_ there were all staring at the two of them. She didn't appreciate the attention. He just ate unconcernedly.

"You're going to eat or just stare at your _food_?"

He'd said the last word as if he had doubts about the validity of it. She could only stare at the way he'd polished off his breakfast.

"Where _does_ it go?"

She blurted out before she could help herself. Her outburst caused him to answer her with a slight smirk on his sinfully beautiful face.

"What? You ask me that after last night?"

"Bastard!" She muttered under her breath, of course he heard her. Thankfully, Foehn showed up at their table.

"Hey, guys! Anything good for breakfast?"

He slapped Gabriel on the back and gave Ahnyang a blinding smile. Smiling slightly back at Foehn, she got up and said.

"Time for me to go, I need to get ready fo…HmmnMmm…"

Almasy had gotten up with her and was giving her a most thorough kiss, right in the middle of the cafeteria, right in front of his friend, right in front of everyone!

"Report to Parking Lot B25 at eleven hundred hours."

She didn't want to make a further scene, so with her lips still throbbing from the sizzling kiss she left the cafeteria as swiftly as she could with her head held high. Meanwhile, at the table she'd left, there reigned an absolute silence. Foehn just stared at Gabriel before sighing.

"So it's like that, huh?" It was more a comment than a question.

Gabriel replied gravely, "Yes."

Suddenly, Foehn became Foehn again and slapped Gabriel on the shoulder.

"Man! You're just one lucky dog!"

"Foehn if you slap me again I fucking swear…!"

"Awww, Gabe! Chill, man! Y'know my ol' man sending me to FRT with Meijin? Man! Maybe I can score with her this time…!"

Gabriel could only stare incredulously at his childhood friend, and wondered not for the first time if his Aunt Rina had been on some kind of hormonal medication before Foehn was born…

§ § §

– _Timber Train Station –_

"Excuse me, could you tell me when's the next train to Windhill?"

The woman at the station ticket booth stared in astonishment at the youth asking her the question … Wow! He was so pretty! Those hazel eyes somehow looked familiar, but her sense of professionalism made her direct her thoughts into answering the question of a potential passenger.

"You've just missed the afternoon express, lad. The next one leaving won't be until late this afternoon."

"Oh, well… I'll get a ticket for that one then, please."

She printed out the fare and said, "That'll be 3,000 gil, lad. The train will be leaving at 4:45 from track 'D'."

At the lad's confused look, she elaborated, "That's the track located on level 2, just take the elevator and turn to your left."

The young man paid for his ticket in cash, which was very unusual, "Thank you."

–**_Humph_**– She looked at the boy's retreating back and wondered whether a pretty lad like that one would be visiting his 'significant other'. She shrugged her shoulders, it was none of her business.

§ § §

– _Grandidi City, Ganryu Mansion –_

She had given her staff the entire weekend off –sent them all off to the Ganryu retreat at Bika Hot-Springs– . It was the least she could do for them, **_'They're such a hardworking lot … so loyal, so overprotective of me!'_** Her butler, Jomei Hoffmann, with his typical stubbornness had outright refused to take the leave, citing the fact that to leave Mistress Tahera to fend for herself the entire weekend was clearly unseemly, not to mention unworthy of a man of his stature. She had just laughed it off and called Jomei an old codger, too set in his ways… **_'He knows…how could he not know…' _**

Jomei had loved her for the longest of time, ever since they'd trained together under the tutelage of Master Otsu. When she'd been forced to marry into the Ganryu clan, instead of moving on as she'd begged him –ordered him– to do, Jomei had chosen to be by her side and be her most loyal retainer… No, he'd never been one of her many lovers, but she didn't regret that– Lovers came and went…she hadn't wanted to taint what she had with Jomei by taking him as a mere lover, when he was so much more… Her only one great regret would be in not defying her family, and taking the easy road of acquiescence that so many in her situation had done. But that had been in the long forgotten past…

As head of the powerful Ganryu organization, she'd given her niece Fujin her full support when she'd gone against familial wishes and married Raijin Kumo, an orphan of unknown parentage. The Naosu clan hadn't cared that the young man was an accomplished SeeD, or that Fujin could have interests that were outside those of the immediate family circle. Tahera allowed herself a tiny smile, in the end, time had proven to be Fujin's greatest ally. The twins Meijin and Rei, both so beautiful so talented, were the darlings of the family. All the Naosus ever did nowadays, during any kind of gathering, was to boast about the twin's long list of accomplishments as top notch SeeDs.

She took a look around her favourite room, decorated in shades of green, blue and pink. **_'Such a cheerful and lovely place…'_**The room contained some of the best pieces in her Tessen and Sensu collection. Slipping her favourite fan out of it's secret holder inside her left sleeve, she placed the _Murasaki_ back into it's wall bracket. In time, this fan would go to Meijin, **_'The only one capable of wielding it to full power.'_** She still remembered when she'd received the _Murasaki_ from her old master. It had been his way of apologising for doubting her skills with the Tessen, which in his chauvinistic opinion could only be wielded by men. To prove him wrong, she had defeated Jomei, his other star student, with a Tessen.

The _Murasaki_ was indeed a very rare fan, made of phoenix pinions held together with adamantine; it had a secret mechanism that would reveal hidden cactus thorns. It's very beauty and apparent fragility were very misleading. Light and flexible, it was capable of deflecting the deadliest missiles or the sharpest of blades, and with its sharp cactus thorns the _Murasaki_ was a deadly weapon… A very slight rustle brought Tahera out of her musings. She turned to face the source of the sound.

"Well met, Mistress Ganryu! You never disappoint."

Suddenly, Tahera found herself surrounded by shadowy figures. She smiled. She could've been in the middle of a cocktail party, exchanging pleasantries with other guests.

"I'm flattered by all this attention, none less than from the very top of the ladder!"

"I'm rather saddened that we have to part like this, but traitors must be punished. You do understand, don't you?" The voice was filled with real regret.

Tahera arched a supercilious eyebrow, every inch the Ganryu Matriarch, "You don't actually expect _me_ to answer that inane question?"

"Ah, but I shall miss you! Perhaps in death you shall render the service denied to us in life." And signalled the others to attack.

Tahera smiled again and pushed the hidden remote in her ring, **_'Oh, I don't think so…'_** Before the others could get to her, they were attacked by a myriad of Shruriken. As they jumped to dodge the missiles, they failed to deflect the two carefully placed kaiken blades that pierced through Tahera's heart and liver making them useless to their cause. A split second before taking her last breath she though, **_'Let that be my atonement, my death shall buy them time.'_**

§

They found Tahera's _jisei_ when they uncovered her will:

_With no regrets  
I close-up my house  
Shut the windows  
Leave through the open door  
Outside, the scent of a thousand blooms  
Envelop me as I take the path_

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

Translation from the Spanish

_Since when did I start to love you?  
Since when did I start loving you?  
La la la la…Oooh, oooh…_

_Tell me when this painful feeling began  
Tell me when this painful feeling started  
La la la la…Oooh, oooh…_

_Love's a bitch, love's a bitch_

– The song **_Dime cuándo comenzó el dolor_** is by _Ely Guerra_ from the soundtrack of **_Amores Perros_**

A _jisei _is a 'death poem' written in anticipation of death.


	30. Written In Blood

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

Chapter 29:** Written In Blood**

_Isabel, se quedó sin comer  
Quizás él le dejó un papel  
Escrito con sangre  
Para que ella lea cuando sea grande_

_Cuentan que una vez en el tren  
Quiso él volver a Isabel  
Pero ya era tarde  
La habían llevado a otra parte  
con su madre  
Atormentado, viaja asustado  
Buscando a Isabel  
A Isabel le decían que él  
Se había ido y no la quería ver  
Y así pasó mucho tiempo  
Isabel no sabía si era cierto_

_  
Hasta que encontró el papel  
Lo leyó y por fin pudo saber  
Escrito en sangre  
Ella lo entendió porque era grande_

_Tarde o temprano  
No será en vano  
Abrazar a Isabel  
A Isabel, a Isabel_

–Juana Molina–

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_01.07.01 AU_

_After an almost sleepless night, I spent the best part of today trying to avoid Seifer. Perhaps I'm being cowardly, but I want my life to resume its sense of normalcy, teaching my classes, catching the occasional movie in Balamb with Selph and Rinoa. These are all things I know and understand. They make me feel that I have some measure of control over my life. I want that quiet life back! The life I had before his return to Garden, before knowing how shattering his touch and his kisses can be …Before I discovered my body had a will of its own, separate from that of my poor confused mind… _

_I met Selph and Rinoa for lunch today, and our conversation went to yesterday's celebration party. It was unavoidable. I sincerely congratulated Selphie for organizing such a great event. And of course, the talk went to how great Irv and Seifer looked in their SeeD uniforms. Desperate to avoid talking about Seifer, I deliberately teased Selphie about Irvine wearing his uniform with his signature leather hat… She giggled and told us that she did try to convince that sharpshooter to attend the party without it, but of course did not succeed. Rinoa wanted to know if Irv wore that thing to bed. To our great surprise, Selph didn't bother with a reply but winked at us! (She usually gives us too much information about her life with Irvine!) _

_It completely weirds me out that those two didn't ask me anything at all about what they witnessed so avidly yesterday …What's going on? Why do I feel like they're waiting for something to happen? I mean, we talked just about everybody else… We speculated on how much longer either Spade or Nida would wait to officially become engaged. After all they are both SeeD and Sam has already applied to get his instructor's license (I should know because I'm helping him study for it!). We gossiped about Xu and Jack and how they left the party quite early… And of course we talked about Zell and Susana! Rinoa remarked that they made a cute couple, but Selphie hit it right on the nail, as usual, by saying that in her opinion, Zell had acted more like a brother than a lover towards Susana throughout the entire night! _

_Now that I think about how they interacted with each other, I can see what Selph meant… Susana danced with that guy Darryl Stevenson quite a few times, but Zell didn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, he paid more attention to Ma Dincht, Matron and even Dr. Kadowaki than he did to his date! He wasn't mean to her or anything …He just didn't act very boyfriend like towards her at all! I had thought at the time that he was just being shy, but my mind was so busy wondering about Sasha Tavares and her family that my thinking processes must've completely failed me! I mean, the Zell I know might be_ 'shy'_, but he has all the subtlety of a T-Rex! If he were interested in someone, everyone would know about it big time! _

_Are we putting too much pressure on Zell? I know Susana likes him, but how about him? At first I truly thought it was Zell being dimwitted about it, but now that I've had a chance to see the both of them together… I'm not so sure what to think! Did they even dance? We want Zell to be happy, but can you push a person to be happy? _

_I'm just about exhausted! All this unnecessary worry about avoiding Seifer only to be told by Rinoa that Seifer had agreed to escort the Tavares back to Centra! …But why would he do that? (I was under the impression that he didn't like Sasha …Could I be wrong?)_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_02.07.01 AU_

_This is a recurring dream..._

_We're all battling Ultimecia in her castle, before we deal out the blow that will finish her off, she suddenly transforms into Matron. Not Matron in her sorceress garb, but our Matron. The long-haired kindly-faced lady that raised us and always took care of us with a quiet smile on her face. Except that in my dream she's not smiling. She's entreating us to kill her …There are tears running down her face… I begin to scream at the others, **"Stop! It's Matron! Stop!"** but no one hears me …And then, a force I cannot control takes hold of my hand and makes me crack my whip at her …Over and over, again and again…_

_That's when I wake up all shaken and sweaty, my face wet with tears. I look around my darkened room, and I need to always suppress the urge to run into Matron's quarters so I can check that she's still there, sleeping peacefully. Safely. Not lying on a pool of her own blood… Mutilated and stricken down by her own children!_

_At times like this, I need to get out of bed, need to take several calming breaths. I have to turn on all the lights I possibly can, to chase away the shadows. Go to the bathroom. Splash my face with cold water. Avoid looking at myself reflected on the mirror… _

_I can state this with absolute certainty. The decision I took with the others of fighting Matron to save the world… I would not, could not take today. Now that I have a better understanding of Shiva, I think that perhaps our GFs selectively took over all our childhood memories of Matron and of each other on purpose, to protect us, because they knew what we had to face. To fight an absolute stranger for whom you have no feeling whatsoever, is not the same as fighting someone who clothed you, fed you, and loved you… _

_I think back to when we made that fateful resolution back in Trabia Garden's basketball court, when Irv told us who it was that we were fighting… After hearing what he had to say I suddenly remembered Matron, but it was like recalling the image of a kind stranger. I saw myself and the others as children, but again they were just images of people I barely knew. My feelings were not involved. I was eighteen at the time… Now I'm almost twenty. We were so young at the time! We are still young! But somehow I feel like I've aged an entire century. _

_I know that Ultimecia got a hold of Seifer by releasing all his childhood memories of Matron. What did it feel like to be flooded by all those suppressed feelings, all pouring back into him at the same time? I knew that when Irv's memories were still intact, he'd found it impossible to shoot Matron. A veteran sniper at only seventeen, Irvine had been paralyzed, unable to function. It was only after he junctioned a GF that he found it possible to make the decision to fight Matron… _

_And I think about this twisted creature that is Sorceress Ultimecia… A being that is yet to be born, but we have already killed her… I pity her. I pity Ultimecia. She was victimized, and like many before her became like her torturers, became like the people who sought to destroy her. In her path for revenge, she annihilated everything and everyone, unable to stop herself. Soon, there was nothing left except bitterness, and the unquenched desire to destroy, to punish those who had wronged her. (Although they had long been exterminated by her own hand)_

_I wonder if the others realize that no matter how many times we kill Ultimecia, she will always be lurking in the future? Ultimecia signifies the end of History. To eliminate her would mean that we can also get rid of sunrise and sunset, and all the cycles of the moon… Oh! Why do I even bother thinking about something like this? _

_I'm just so pathetic. I can hide it from the others, but I can't hide this truth from myself. _

_About Matron, there's simply something very perverse about the idea of destroying what we love in order to save something else that we value… I'm so confused._

_The whole of today I felt drained and tired. I must've looked real bad, because Rinoa and Selphie kept casting me worried looks throughout the entire day… They are both very busy but at dinner they suggested we go to Balamb the day after tomorrow to check out this new movie **"Written In Blood"** at the _Art House Cinema_ … Even Zell and Irvine offered to come!_ _It humbles me to know how much my friends truly love me! To hear them gush about a small budget movie that they would normally never go watch in a million years… (They're all into the big budget Trabian action films!)_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_03.07.01 AU_

_Another restless night… Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me! I managed to fall asleep, but my dreams must've been plagued with that same old recurring nightmare because I woke up feeling really tired… It's been a while since I've had this much trouble sleeping. I've never told anyone about this nightmare, specially not Matron. I wonder what could've possibly triggered it?_

_I need to get my act together! The others haven't said anything to me, but everyone has been walking on eggshells whenever I'm around… I just wish they'd come out and voice their worry out loud! I guess they're not used to seeing me being such a wimp, but I can't seem to help myself lately… _

_At the end of the day, as I entered my quarters, I was thinking to myself that at least Seifer was not around to plague me with his impossible demands, when I saw him lounging on my bed! (Has my bed always been this small?) Annoyed at his intrusion, I wanted to know how he got inside my room! (Wasn't he supposed to be with the Tavares on Centra?) Instead of answering my question, he stared at me and frowned. Getting off my bed to tower over me he asked in a demanding tone, **"What the fuck is going on, Trepe? You look like hell!"** _

_I took a step back until I realized what I was doing. Refusing to let him intimidate me, I stood my ground and frowned right back at him. I ignored his unflattering comment, and asked him again in the same aggressive tone he used with me what he was doing in my room and how he got in it! To my surprise, although he was still scowling, he told me that it wasn't very hard to hack into Garden's security to access the codes used to lock the rooms! He'd done it before, just for the fun of it! (Hyne! Is nothing sacred to him?) I folded my arms over my chest and looked at him repressively, all the time lecturing him about how wrong it was to invade other people's private space when he interrupted my diatribe by saying, **"I'd like an answer to my question, Instructor."** _

_I knew exactly the question to which he was referring. For a split second I really considered acting dumb, but I knew he would never let me get away with it. I was also irritated at the way he called me _'Instructor'._ (At least he'd called me 'Quistis' the first time!) I stalked to the foot of my bed putting some distance between us, and told him that his question didn't deserve an answer! I also wanted him to leave my room and to leave me in peace. I told him he was a damned SeeD now, same as me. I mean, I had tried to be a mentor to him, I've tried to be his friend! What more did he want from me? _

_He looked at me with his usual smirk and said, **"You don't get it do you, Trepe?"** _

_To my great consternation, he crowded me into a corner, his palms were on each side of my head while his face was uncomfortably near mine. He wasn't touching me, but I felt suffused by such an intense heat. For the first time in days, my body felt alive! I damned myself and my own weakness. Mesmerized, I could only stared up into his darkened eyes to whisper, **"Seifer, I've offered you everything I have of value and you've rejected all of it…" **The wall probably has an imprint of my body, I was pressing myself so hard against it, trying desperately not to let him overwhelm me…_

_His eyes met mine for a second before he bent his head so that his lips were almost grazing my left ear. Lowering his voice he murmured,** "We'll play it your way, Trepe …But don't make me wait too long…" ** The sound of his deep masculine voice inevitably sent shivers coursing down my spine. Then, he moved his head until his mouth was only a breath away from mine. I closed my eyes expecting the inevitable. **"…I might lose my patience." ** Soon after he said that, I felt the loss of his incredible body heat. I heard the door glide open and close. He was gone. _

_I needed to take a deep calming breath, I felt so undone by him. I also needed to take a very cold shower..._

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_04.07.01 AU_

_After the little brush I had with Seifer last night, I had expected to spend another sleepless night, but I was able to sleep the whole night through. No nightmares! I can't say I woke up feeling completely refreshed, but at least I wasn't feeling tired! It's amazing how being able to sleep gives one a more positive outlook. _

_I was somewhat surprised and greatly touched to have Squall join us for the movies this afternoon! I must've looked real bad these past few days! At least this time I didn't have to deal with unwelcome lecherous advances, because I was seated between Zell and Rinoa. The movie itself was a pretty straight forward story of a little girl called 'Isabel' who is separated from her father. We are never told how this came about as the story focuses on how the child deals with this loss and how it affects her as she grows up. All we are shown is the opening sequence, where you see a man frantically trying to jump out of a train. The scene then changes abruptly to the head shot of a little girl staring at the camera with large sad eyes as she's told that her father had taken the train and left her behind…_

_I'm not sure what the others thought about the movie, but personally I found it very hard to watch… For some reason, that child 'Isabel' became me. I was being abandoned and rejected all over again! All the suppressed feelings I have roiling inside me somehow rose to the surface with this movie… _

_I don't know how I managed to keep it together until the return to Garden. I just don't know what to do anymore with all these feelings I carry around! Seifer! He's asking too much of me! Doesn't he know what an incomplete person I am? How broken I happen to be inside? In the end, if I give in to him, he'll abandon me like all the rest. It was hard enough when Squall rejected me, if I allow this to happen with Seifer …I know I would be shattered forever._

_Sometimes, when I go for a stroll at the marina in Balamb City, I look at the people there. I see them talking and laughing with each other, and I wish with all my heart I could be them! They seem so carefree… so light-hearted… Their memories are intact. They are complete… _

_Even if they bring me pain, even if they make me suffer, I wish I could have all of my memories back so I can be whole again… _

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_05.07.01 AU_

_During breakfast today, Irv casually remarked that Seifer had left early this morning on a mission to Esthar at Laguna's express request, but did not elaborate more. (I was both relieved and disappointed at the same time! Hyne! I think I'm ready for the nuthouse!) Irvine was wondering out loud when he would be going on a mission as well, when we heard our names called over the PA. It was Xu's voice asking us to report to the Headmaster's office immediately._

_The meeting was pretty brief. The monsters created by Lunar Cry were once again being unmanageable and we were being hired by the Free Republic of Timber to help them with some monster clean up. Two of their main towns, Mandy and Roshfall, were overrun and they wanted some help with the monsters attacking the outskirts of Timber City as well. Irv was to lead a team into Mandy, and Priya Dephta would lead another into Roshfall. I was to lead the team going to Timber City, as well as to oversee the entire operation. _

_It sounded complicated but it was an easy enough task. It was the best way to send out rookie SeeDs on missions under the supervision of the more experienced ones. Irvine would've been more than enough to handle the entire operation… But I suppose it would be in bad form to make someone who just made SeeD less than two weeks ago squad leader. Moreover, it would give me something to do. Since Instructor Aki has kindly taken over teaching my classes until the end of term, I feel like I've too much idle time in my hands…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_11.07.01 AU_

_I'm so glad to be back in B-Garden!_

_Timber was a complete fiasco for me! I wasn't able to do a damned thing except to coordinate the mission from inside my hotel room! I was mobbed everywhere I went! And by extension, members of my team were equally mobbed, which meant we were not able to do our job! Hyne! Does the media have me confused with some kind of famous actress or singer? It didn't help that Zone came over for a friendly visit… I think every single radio station and television channel in the country televised their President entering my hotel! I thought the hotel security was pretty good, but one reporter snuck in and took footage of Zone entering my room… After that, it was like a media circus…_

_Thanks Hyne, Spade was in my team. I contacted Priya and asked her to bring her team over to the outskirts of Timber City. I redeployed my own team with Sam acting as their leader to Roshfall. Irv's team suffered no disruptions, so they were able to complete their job ahead of schedule. Although I was forced out of the actual fighting, at least I was able to supervise our mission and to complete it s successfully!_

_Heard from both Matron and Rinoa that Seifer's not back from Esthar yet. I wonder what kind of mission they sent him on?_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_12.07.01 AU_

_I was glad I went to Timber after all! It has put me on a more even keel. I guess I needed to get out of Garden!_

_Today, I finally I got to sit down and spend some quality time with Irv so he could recount to me what happened at the Centra mission after I passed out. He was happy because the Timber mission increased his ranking by quite a bit! I bet that's the main reason why Seifer was sent by himself to Esthar. After all, their ranking does not really reflect their experience, and I know Seifer would make short work of any SeeD who might tried to order him around if he considered that person's prowess to be inferior, regardless of actual rank…_

_I'd already submitted to the Headmaster a somewhat less than detailed version of the Centra mission, but he wanted to let that version stand in the public record. The official report just summarizes that we found the remains of the three Centran agents (The samples we brought back identifies them) who had been incinerated by a Ruby Dragon, and that somehow we stumbled upon Sasha Tavares in a room… There's no mention anywhere in the official report of the inscriptions or the hidden passage we found in Odin's Chamber, and definitely no mention whatsoever of Hephaestus and what he instructed us to do… _

_Instead, the Headmaster wanted me to keep an unofficial account of it in my own personal field journal… At his suggestion, I was to question either Seifer or Irvine on mission details from the moment I lost consciousness. This is Irvine's account of what happened to them:_

_After they left that little room with Sasha hoisted on his shoulder, and myself on Seifer's (Hyne, I'm glad I was unconscious!), they proceeded into that huge atrium only to interrupt what seemed to be like some kind of ritual they were performing around a strange looking chalice placed in the middle of an altar. There was a yellowish-brown smoke swirling around the cup and it was slowly enveloping the altar, when Seifer and Irvine were spotted._

_Irv swears that the three figures he saw standing next to a heavily masked one, were the Centrans we've been searching for: Patricia Barofsky, Galen Tierce and Conrad Knipper. The three of them were wearing robes similar to those worn by Sasha, but what really caught his attention, apart from their deadly pale faces and sunken eyes, were the wicked red scars that ran across their throat going from ear to ear and the perpendicular incision that started in the middle of their jaw and went all the way down. He didn't how further down because of their robes. _

_Irvine was really creeped out by those sinister wounds, and by the fact that they didn't move with the same jerky movements one usually associates with undead creatures. These moved with such great swiftness and agility that at first he'd been fooled thinking that they were still somehow alive, and he had trouble processing what Seifer was telling him, but he was glad that he took Seifer's words at face value, otherwise he didn't think he would here telling me about them!_

_One of them, he thinks it was Galen Tierce (or his shell), tried to skewer him with a very strange looking lance, but thanks to Seifer's warning he jumped out of the way on time! Irv says that I gained enough consciousness to guide them to the correct door and thus giving them some extra time… However, I don't remember doing that… Apparently, I also managed to cast Mighty Guard on our group, which in Irvine's opinion saved their lives, because they'd almost gained the exit when Catastrophe was cast by the masked figure. The barrier generated by my blue magic cushioned all of us from the worst of that powerful magical blast. _

_Ironically, the strength of the spell hurled all of us outside and also sealed the entrance to the cave-like structure! Although they took quite a bit of damage, they were able to cure themselves and place as much distance as possible between us and the temple-like structure. Then Irv paused a bit in his account to look at me strangely and say,** "Y'know Quisty? Even after we trekked for quite a while, we were still surrounded by a blue sheen that kept regeneratin' us… Also float made it easier for us to carry you and climb down the mountain…"**_ _I looked back at him, lifted my arms and shrugged my shoulders. I didn't understand it any better than he did how my blue magic became so powerful. I don't even know if it would have the same effect now!_

_Anyways, he and Seifer finally paused to take stock of their surroundings, and realized that they were quite high up on some sort of hilly path almost entirely hidden by overgrown bushes. The path seemed to be sloping steadily downward. They had no idea where they could be, nothing seemed familiar to them. All they could do was assume that they were still somewhere in the Centra continent, because the terrain they were traversing was similar to the one around the Centra Ruins. After what seemed to Irvine like hours of descending the mountain path, they were getting ready to set-up a makeshift camp when we were spotted by the others onboard the Ragnarok and brought back to B-Garden._

_Irvine concluded his narrative by telling me that had it not been for Seifer's sheer determination to get us out, none of us would be here to talk about it. I suppose it says a lot about Seifer's leadership qualities when someone like Irvine is willing to take his direction without question. On the other hand, when I think about the risks those two took… It could just be the case of one loose-cannon admiring the other! In any case, one thing is very clear, both Seifer and Irvine became good friends sometime during the mission._

_The talk with Irvine made me think about all the unresolved items we brought back from the mission! A huge one was Sasha Tavares (Okay, I admit it, I'm becoming obsessed with her…) Why did she call me blue witch? Why did she refer to Seifer as Knight?(This part troubles me the most…) Didn't Hephaestus call us the same when he was released?  
What did the GF mean about lineage? What lineage? _

_When I asked her once about how I got to be in the orphanage, Matron told me that I was left on her doorstep when I was barely two. As it is, I don't really know when my 'real' birthday happens to be since October 4th is the date Matron found me… And Seifer? She'd had him since he was a baby… The others came a bit later…_

_So many confusing thoughts I need to process…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_13.07.01 AU_

_For no reason whatsoever, Zone suddenly popped into my mind! It could be because I saw him last week! Poor guy! Talk about unrequited love! Even after all this time, he carries a torch for Rinoa. When I gave him the handwritten note she wrote him, he suddenly broke down and cried on my shoulder! I consoled him the best I could, even to the extent of agreeing to have dinner with him. (In spite of all the media attention!) Of course, the picture of us having dinner together was plastered all over! Hyne! Don't people have anything else to do, but gaze into a stranger's life? _

_The weirdest thing about that entire experience was Rinoa's teasing when she showed pictures of me having dinner with Zone in some glossy gossipy magazine! If she only knew that I spent the entire evening telling Zone that she was happy with Squall and that he needed to move on! As a matter of fact, Zone asked me if I would have dinner with him again, but I decided that I've already fulfilled my duty to him as a friend, and that one harrowing experience with the media was more than enough!_

_This afternoon I met with Irv again, but this time it was to plan Selphie's upcoming surprise birthday party! Wow, time sure flies by fast! It was Susana's turn at the front desk in the library so she let us have our meet there. (It's a known fact that Selph will come to the library only when absolutely necessary) I was the last arrival, because everybody else was already there! _

_After the meeting, I have a new appreciation of Selphie's organizational skills! I was asked to organize the party, but I tactfully suggested that perhaps Rinoa would be better suited for the job since she's normally Selph's second-in-command. I sighed in relief when the others agreed with me. After that, I promptly agreed to help Rinoa with the coordination detail. We stationed Raijin by the door to make sure that Selph would not descend on us unexpectedly (Though highly doubtful –we are in the library)._

_I hope we can surprise Selphie! We assigned Irv the job of keeping her busy…_

_Seifer's still in Esthar. I wonder if he will make it on time for Selphie's birthday? I know she would be very disappointed if he missed her party…_

_- - - - - - - - - -_

_Quistis's Journal Entry_

_14.07.01 AU_

_I went into Dr. Kadowaki's office today and for the first time she was by herself and not mending someone. (Lunar Cry seems to be getting progressively worse!) Still, respectful of her privacy, I knocked slightly on the door to alert her of my presence. She turned swiftly and upon seeing me greeted me with a wide smile. It's been a while since we've had a nice long chat together! _

_I should've known better than to think she would just allow to sit down for nice chit-chat! She did talk to me but she also gave me a complete physical at the same time! After she was satisfied that I was completely recovered, she looked at me shrewdly and asked, **"You want to know about Sasha Tavares?"** Without waiting for my assent, she went to her terminal and typed in a couple of commands, once she finished doing that, she smiled at me and said, **"I knew that you would ask me at some point, so I prepared a complete report on her physiology. Oh, I also added some extra data on that drug 'Bliss' and it's cheaper counterpart 'Bash'." ** After saying that, she handed me the chip that shot out of her terminal._

_Ah! Dr. Kadowaki you're such an amazing person, it's now wonder you're so popular in B-Garden!_

…

§

– _Galbadia, Grand Minos Hotel and Spa Honeymoon Suite 03 –_

Gabriel looked up from reading his mother's journal. He hadn't realized that his normally calm and collected mom had been such a mess of nerves in the past, but then she had some real major issues to deal with… One of them being his own father!

He gazed pensively at Ahnyang's sleeping figure on the huge king-sized bed. In some ways he understood what his father must've gone through. Hideyoshi was such a mystery to him… So hot and passionate at times, and yet so formal and standoffish at others, not unlike his mother's reaction to his father. He might be able to bury himself as deeply as he could inside Hideyoshi's body, but her psyque remained an elusive thing… It really shouldn't bother him, but it did.

He wondered how his father felt about his mother's erratic behaviour and how he dealt with it. The fact that he existed was testimony enough that they eventually worked out their differences…

In any case, one thing had become disturbingly clear as he had read on: In the past his mother had been in danger because of her inherent blue magic abilities and somehow Sasha Tavares had been involved. But he was more worried about the present… Was it mere coincidence that he spotted Councilman Tavares just mere hours before the attack on Wallace? Both his father and Uncle Squall had been greatly troubled by his presence when he reported it… More importantly, was his mother in danger? And by extension, was Ella in danger as well? They were both so called 'blue witches'. Why were they so important? Reading his mother's journal only left him with more questions and no answers whatsoever!

He was also greatly bothered by the wording of all the inscriptions his mother had found during their Centra mission, specially by the one that contained the words found on Wallace's belly:

'Impia tortorum longos hic turba furores'

'_**Sanguinis innocui, non satiata, aluit'**_

Instead of relying on his mother's rather amateurish translation, he'd already asked Mole to run the whole lot through the translation algorithm. He had also requested Aunt Zuleima to go over all of them, including the ones that Uncle Irv had recorded inside that strange chamber. If his intuition proved to be correct, they were already looking for another victim. The slashes that the bodies had on them as described by Uncle Irv were almost replicas of the ones found on Wallace: Precise incisions on very specific areas. He wouldn't be surprised if their heart and liver were also missing. His mother's journal just confirmed what he had suspected all along, that the incisions were part of a ritual. …But, for what purpose?

Gabriel frowned. Whatever the purpose it would definitely be a nefarious one that for some reason involved his family. He needed to get to the bottom of this quickly! From what he'd just read, an event of cataclysmic proportion happened twenty-two years ago, which went unperceived by normal people, but greatly affected those with magic sensibilities. It made his own mother faint, and if he read the journal correctly, Matron, Aunt Rina and Aunt Ellone were equally affected… However, due to his father's and Uncle Irvine's interference the ritual somehow was not completed as it should… And now twenty-two years later a similar event was about to happen…

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n: Translation from the Spanish,

_Isabel was left hungry  
Maybe he left her a note  
Written in blood  
That she might read when she's older_

_They say that once on the train  
He tried to return to Isabel  
But it was already too late  
They had taken her to another place  
With her mother  
Anguished, he travels frightened  
Searching for Isabel  
Isabel was told that he  
Had left and didn't want her  
And a lot of time went by  
Isabel didn't know if it was true_

_Until she found the note  
She read it and finally knew  
Written in blood  
She understood because she was older_

_Sooner or later  
It won't be in vain  
To hug Isabel_

–Juana Molina–


	31. Ormus

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book I  
Chronicles of Past and Present**

_Mors stupebit et natura  
Cum resurget creatura  
Mors stupebit et natura  
Gere curam mei finis_  
–Juno Reactor–

Chapter 30:** Ormus**

– _Centra, Astaroth Castle's Aetherium Chamber –_

"Sire, 'tis ready."

"Fetch me the Lord Ormus."

"As you wish, My Liege."

The attendant bowed and exited the chamber…

"Beloved, wherein lies the wisdom of your intent?"

"In none. It is rather a small ray of hope I wish to bequeath to a world to be cast into deep shadow."

"I can feel the tremors of power coursing through the castle's old stone and from deep inside the earth's bowels. But even with this knowledge I cannot help but to beseech you … Must this deed be done with such haste?"

"All the required preparations for the ritual have been completed. To delay what needs be done now will signify certain failure."

"Beloved, please forgive my foolish lapse into selfishness. I know many have already sacrificed much for us to tarry. To delay the ritual would be to dishonour them. Please, forgive me."

"They know that our age is drawing to a close, you have sensed it …And with its closing all the knowledge and wisdom we have accumulated shall be lost. This was the Sibyl Erythraea's first prophecy uttered nigh half a century ago. When the light of sun, moon and stars is eclipsed by darkness, rivers of fire shall flow through our lands, our libraries shall burn, our people shall disperse throughout every corner of the world and the power inherent in our line shall dwindle as we mingle with lesser mortals to survive. The Sibyl foretold the Doom of Astaroth and it has come to pass. So be it. We have prepared long and hard for the waning of our kingdom… Indeed, for the waning of our very civilization. Nevertheless, the Sibyl Erythraea's last prophecy is the one that troubles me greatly."

"The breaking of the Seals of Goetia. The prophecy that blocked the brightness of the mighty sun, darkened the sky and destroyed the messenger. It shook the very foundations of this castle. …I – I could sense the coming of the Great Cataclysm…and then the Void… "

"My beloved, you were completely drained of power and fainted. You had to be abed for at least a fortnight… That you, a being of such power could be drained thus…"

"It made you worry…"

"I find it extremely disquieting that the Sibyl should foretell of something that would come to pass so far into the future… '_Advenient per secla futurus' …_And such a telling it was! The Sibyl's voice was forever silenced when the Oracular Altar that contained the Gift was cloven in two. Such disturbing portend!"

"And thus the passing of the Sibyl Erythraea came to be as was foretold. Th-the destructive energy that split the altar …It–it was a most unwholesome power… polluted by such malice…"

"…"

"And yet the world shall know peace and prosperity… Many ages of men and women shall have come and gone ere the waning of Goetia's Seal…"

"Nevertheless the Seal shall be broken and the power within shall be unleashed onto a most vulnerable unsuspecting world. A world lacking in the knowledge that we possess to contain it. I would that at least some guidance be left for those future generations that will sorely be in need of it. Some token that might aid them in the advent of the chaos that will befall their time. Perhaps my one act of foolishness will be like a drop of hope in the vast ocean of despair, as the deeds of our civilization become but very faint shadows in the memories of years to come, but I would leave it.""

"One by one, each of the seven seals shall be broken and this in turn will open the last one, the Seal of Goetia. The epicentre of ** α**–Aleph, the First Seal, is located in the very heart of Astaroth… Our ancestors were very clever in the concealment of the other seals around the world."

"Our ancestors did what was necessary to hide them from those foolish enough to believe that it will bestow them with neverending power."

"It whispers promises and feeds into our darkest and deepest desires… It is a most fearsome foe for none would be impervious… The very nature of our humanity makes us all potential subject to its will…"

"And yet, beloved, our very weaknesses shall also make us strong. Have faith in those that will come after, and remember that in nature death is only but foretelling of growth."

"'Tis for that reason that I will be adding my blue magic to yours."

"Nay! You shall be needing all your strength! I have entrusted the _Clavicula Grimoire_ into the safekeeping of the Great Matriarch of the Kashkabald people. Even if all else perishes, I hope the knowledge it contains will somehow prevail until the time of great need…"

"Beloved… if that Grimoire were to fall into the wrong hands…"

"I trust the Great Matriarch implicitly. This prophesy affects not only our descendants, but hers as well. As it is, the _Clavicula Grimoire_ can only be opened if all seven seals have been broken. We know it contains powerful magic, but even we the descendants of the Grimoire's makers have no knowledge of its contents."

"True, it is as you have said…"

"Enough! The hour draws near! Listen carefully to my instruction: Our kingdom shall be no more. I would that you take our children Dohletia and Ishtarius to our secret mountain refuge in the north. I have already arranged it. Immediately after the completion of the ritual you are to leave. Ormus shall accompany you."

"NO! I trust Ormus to take care of the children. It is my place to be here by your side!"

"I am to be bound by most powerful magic to the very stones of Astaroth Castle, along with Hephaestus, the ancient spirit that serves me… You cannot remain behind. This castle shall soon fall! You will accompany Ormus and leave with our children. Should our stronghold in the north fail, Ormus shall know where to take you. This is my last wish. Are you to dishonour it?"

"My Lord, you ask too much of me…!"

An attendant enters the chamber.

"Sire, Ormus the Necromancer awaits your favour…"

"Bring him to me at once."

"As you wish, Lord Odin."

§ § §

_**End Of Book I  
Chronicles Of Past And Present**_

To be continued… on **_Book II: Tales of Hidden Cities_**

a/n:

My not so wonderful translation from Latin,

_Even in annihilation we shall be astounded by birth  
With the resurgence of growth  
Even in death we shall be astounded by birth  
Bearing the cares of our goals_

– "**Conquistador I" ** by _Juno Reactor_ from their album **_Labyrinth_**

I thought it was befitting to end Book I with a very cool piece of music that has lyrics in Latin. My favourite track from FF8 is Nobuo Uematsu's richly orchestrated Latin choral piece, **"Liberi Fatali"**. Except for the line '_Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec_' which is not Latin, the rest of the lyrics are in actual bona-fide Latin…


	32. BOOK II: Hidden Ciies, Open Cities

**Disclaimer: All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**

**

* * *

**

§ § §

**Advent of the Necromancer**

§**  
**

**Book II**

§

** TALES OF HIDDEN CITIES – OPEN CITIES  
**

§ § §**  
**

_You will find no new lands, you will find no other seas.  
The city will follow you. You will roam the same  
streets. And you will age in the same neighbourhoods;  
and you will grow grey in these same houses.  
Always you will arrive in this city._  
– C.P. Cavafy–

§ § §

* * *

Strong language. Some chapters may contain graphic descriptions of adult situations and/or violence.


	33. Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_In the circles of destiny,  
Who be the puppeteer?  
Who be the puppet?_  
– Graffiti rumoured to be found in _Ultimecia's Castle_–

Chapter 1:** Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec**

"…Poor, poor boy…"

…_My child, perhaps I've loved you too much and the others not enough…_

"Such a confused little boy. Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide."

_You were always such a rash child, perhaps I should've done more to help you curb your wild impulses …But by then, I already knew what fate had in store for you, and I could not bring myself to deny you the exuberance of your nature…_

"The boy in you is telling you to come. The adult in you is telling you to back off. You can't make up your mind. You don't know the right answer. You want help, don't you? You want to be saved from this predicament."

_In your desire to prove your worth, you could never resist a challenge, great or small… You would forever be challenging the others to try and best you…_

"Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Besides, you're only a little boy."

_She took possession of all the memories I had of you. But none of the feelings. You became an open book… She latched onto that aspect of your personality immediately… _

"You don't want to be a boy anymore?"

_In her eternal cruelty… She gave me enough lucidity to witness her moment of triumph. _

"Come with me to a place of no return. Bid farewell to your childhood."

_Such are the idiosyncrasies of fate, that the love of a mother serves best to condemn her own child. That hurt the most._

§

_All this useless suffering, all the pain we've caused, all the pain we've endured… My son, in the end… The coming of this loneliness, of this Angel of Destruction called _'Ultimecia'_ is still inevitable. _

_She's as much caught in the web as we are._

§

_'Not even the God of Prophesy can escape the Fate...'_  
– Graffiti rumoured to be found in _Ultimecia's Castle_–

(**Field notes:** Splotches of blood were also found staining some of the words, presumably belonging to the author who was probably mauled to death and devoured by one Ultimecia's sentinels. Therefore it's unclear if the author meant to continue with a 'Fated' something, or just conclude with 'Fates')

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n: The last graffiti is a quote from Herodotus


	34. Megalopolis

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_I'm looking for the face I had  
Before the world was made._  
–Yeats–

Chapter 2:** Megalopolis**

"_**Welcome to Esthar City!"**_  
"_**You are entering Ramp0234 to exit into Sector 09"**_  
"_**Please merge into the flow of local traffic"**_  
"_**Speed of Flow is presently at: 5 mph"**_

The rider of the powerful PQK–AX98 propulsion bike ignored the cheerful holographic prompts, and pushed his jets to new dizzying speeds, zigzagging through the traffic to the heated indignation of his fellow motorists. Soon the only thing those angry faces could see was the reflection of the sun rays bouncing off the helmet worn by the speed maniac that had zoomed by them. A few grumpy drivers stuck in the traffic jam grumbled.

"I hope the highway patrols stop that dangerous speed punk!"

The peaceful law-abiding citizens of Esthar would be flabbergasted had they been able to witness the arrival of the 'speed punk' at the Presidential Palace. With a violent and noisy swerve of wheels and air-jet thrusters, the shiny bike stopped right in the front smack centre of the Palace's main entrance. A spot usually reserved for VIPs. However, the guards recognized the tall and sleekly powerful figure that lithely dismounted from the bike, even though it was completely helmeted and clad in a form fitting black jumpsuit. The rider had a wicked looking gunblade strapped in the back, but no one seemed to be alarmed by it, instead they saluted the armed man smartly with a, "Welcome, sir."

The figure took off his helmet, and tossed it to one of the waiting guards, revealing shorn blonde hair, intense sea-green eyes, and a wicked scar that streaked his forehead. One of the guards –a newly posted one– sighed dreamily to herself, **_'Whoa! What a hottie!'_**

"Take it for me to the garage will ya?"

"Yes, sir!"

Seifer Almasy knew he'd just made the guard's day, but then that little baby was _sweet_! With little perks like that, he shouldn't really complain about his stint in Esthar. Laguna Loire may look and even act like a goof sometimes, but he sure knew how to work the skin off a guy's ass! He'd just come back from fighting a fun little colony of Turtapods in the Great Plains, helping the Estharian forces clear out a space for the future Esthar Garden.

Was it just a few weeks ago that he'd arrived leading a small complement of B-Garden SeeDs? They all seemed to have settled down here, feeling quite at home in the enormous Compound that had been erected near Tear's Point. He was the only one residing in the City, because he was also needed at the Presidential Palace.

He could still remember the great annoyance he felt at being summoned by the Headmaster so very early in that morning of July 4th. He'd had plans for that day! Plans which involved a certain instructor, and exactly how he intended to mow down her prim and proper ways… –To their mutual satisfaction– In his mind, one night had been more than enough time to think things through. Not to mention the fact that it was the second time around he'd asked her the_ same_ question… Unbidden, his mind wandered back to Garden, and a certain blonde haired instructor, **_'Quistis, I should've taken what you were offering me so unconsciously…"_**

He thought about their last night together when she had closed her eyes, fully waiting for him to kiss her… Oh, he'd wanted to. Desperately. It had taken all of his self-control to stop himself from tasting those pouty lips, and ravaging that sweet mouth. He'd wanted to imprint himself so deeply on her, that she would never forget him, but he'd sensed that even though her body was more than ready to receive him, her prissy little mind balked at the idea… So, he had forced himself off her. Forced himself to leave her room, to give her enough time to digest everything that had come to pass between them. He wanted her, no, needed her to come to him out of her own _free_ will…

After being controlled by that bitch Ultimecia for such a long time, he understood the fundamental need of being able to choose for yourself how to act, and to take responsibility for those actions. When Tiamat had made the jump into his psyche, the GF had asked him whether or not he wanted the memories of everything he'd done under that bitch's control to be erased. He'd been tempted, very tempted to accept… But he'd opted to keep remembering. He didn't want to forget any of the atrocities he'd committed under that fucking witch's command. He needed to remind himself of what he could become, had been… Other people could argue all day long about how he'd been possessed by Ultimecia, but he knew better. He'd _allowed_ himself to be lured by her words, without thinking about the consequences. Without fucking thinking. –Period–

That bitch Ultimecia had usurped Matron, and under that guise had whispered dark promises directly into in his mind… The promise to fulfil all of his most secret desires. And being the selfish arrogant bastard that he was, he'd allowed himself to be seduced by her filthy words…

The Matron he knew, and remembered with love would've never asked him to commit all those despicable acts. When the realization of what he was doing glimmered in his mind, it was already too late… At least Matron had been able to rid herself of Ultimecia, but it had been too late for him. She had him firmly enmeshed in her trap. All the time he'd spent fighting the others, he'd also been fighting himself. In a very perverse way, it had pleased him ferociously whenever the others had beaten the crap out of him, the small part of himself which was still there had felt that it too had won …

'**_Argh! Why am I fucking thinkin' about shit like that!'_** Of course, it had all started with the image of Trepe pictured in his mind… He started to scowl immediately, and to curse himself. She'd already made her choice, and most publicly! His frown became more pronounced. It was not enough for the little prick to visit her hotel room, but they'd been also spotted having dinner together! He needed to fucking stop thinking about them, or he would go nuts. He needed to get on with his life, to move on…

"Hey, Seifer! That frown will definitely kill your good looks!"

Seifer turned and saw Kiara Dessu approach him. She was one of the engineers involved in the Project, and had been coming on to him practically since his arrival. Maybe he should take her up on her offer; celibacy was making him go fucking crazy! There was no need to hold himself back now, specially after what he saw on the news screen. His scowl intensified. He'd deliberately missed Selphie's birthday bash last week, because he knew that he would not be able to control his temper. When he'd seen that broadcast, they were lucky he was in Esthar or he'd probably would've been sorely tempted to run that little fuck, Zone, down with Hyperion… **_–Humph–_** He still might do it… Just for laughs.

"Hey! Come back to me!"

A hand grabbed his arm, and a pair of large brown eyes smiled up at him impishly. What the hell, why the fuck not? She wanted him, and he was making himself available. He smiled down at her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Kiara stared up into his handsome face, and wondered if she finally got lucky. Sometimes he could be so moody! She knew him to be a ruthless leader, not allowing slack from anyone, but in general his people felt pretty at ease with him. **_'Except for that time when he arrived at the Compound in an extremely foul mood… For a few days after, everyone acted so very carefully around him, trying to make themselves invisible. Including President Laguna himself!' –Sigh–_** Even with that scowl on his face… He is sooo hot! Better make sure he doesn't change his mind!

"So, Seifer, wanna come over my place for dinner?"

§

_Much later that night..._

He stared into the myriads of lights that made up Esthar City at night. Kiara's apartment was on the 67th level, and had a breathtaking view of the city. His own apartment was even higher up on the 90th level, but it was located in Sector 37, nearer the exit to the Great Plains, and the view from there was dominated by Lunatic Pandora's huge structure. It simply dwarfed everything around it.

He'd known that Esthar City was a huge sprawling metropolis, but being more used to the flatness of Balamb, he'd been more struck by the sheer verticality of the city than by its extension. Most buildings in Esthar were over 50 stories high; as a result, traffic here was multileveled. Upon his arrival, he'd been awed in spite of himself. 30 million people living together in an almost orderly fashion… If he didn't witness that kind of behaviour almost everyday, he wouldn't have believed it possible. Fuck, even _he_ was beginning to do shit like wait around for his turn… Living here was turning him into a passive drone!

Unconsciously, his mind returned to B-Garden. Maybe he was being a sap, but he actually missed being there! Ma Dincht and Matron communicated with him almost every week, and he conferred with the Headmaster and Puberty-boy almost every other day, but it was not the same… With the Lunatic Pandora Project ongoing, _and_ the need to clear the site that had been designated for the construction of the future Esthar Garden, he'd been kept too busy to even go home for a nice visit.

Originally, when Johan Piet had offered to shuttle him to B-Garden as part of the test-drive for their new prototype aircraft the 'AegisM-1', a much smaller and sleeker version of the Ragnarok, he'd quickly agreed. It gave him the opportunity to attend MG's birthday and visit with everyone, especially with… He frowned, **_'Fuck! What's the use? That's stale water under the bridge…'_** He forced himself to visualize the new aircraft… The Aegis was a real beauty. In the end, they conducted the test drive scouting the Great Plains of Esthar to map possible sites for E-Garden.

At his suggestion, E-Garden was to be built midpoint between Lunar Gate and Tears' Point, on the border of the Great Salt Lake. It had floored him that not only had they taken his proposal seriously, but that they were actually acting on it! He remembered feeling bored and highly irritated when one of those smarty-pants architects from some fancy firm had suggested that they revised once again, for the umpteenth time, the number of lavatory facilities to be included in the building. He'd looked at Laguna, hoping that the _President_ would have enough initiative to stop the blabbermouth from continuing, but all he'd done was just return his stare with his usual helpless shrug… That's when he'd lost it! He'd rudely interrupted to say…

…

"_I know some of you guys don't want to be caught by some monster with your pants down while you're taking a shit…" There was some sniggering around the board-room, "But shouldn't we be discussing **where** Garden is to be built,** before **we decide if E-Garden is just to become a huge lavatory facility?"_

…

It had been his hope that with that little speech they would _excuse_ him from attending those moronic meetings, but to his great surprise (and secret chagrin) Laguna had looked at him with approval, and from then on he'd been asked to attend every single fucking meeting! He'd hardly had time to breathe, going to and fro E-Garden's site, Lunatic Pandora _and_ the Presidential Palace, sometimes on the same day! He smirked, he'd been offered an aircraft to shuttle him around, but he'd absolutely refused to be carted around like a patsy.

Laguna, that wily fox, had taken one look at his face, and had immediately offered him the PQK–AX98 Bike… After taking one look at that sleek little baby, he'd accepted immediately. Speeding in the freeway with it was real sweet! It took him longer than if he used an aircraft, but at least he got to manoeuvre his transport himself.

After being Ultimecia's fucking puppet, he wanted to do his own thing, even if it was something as simple and stupid as being able to drive himself to and fro a place. What was it that ol' kook Odine called it? Ah…yeah…_'ze assertion of ze ego'_. Piet, Ellone's boyfriend, had offered to give him flying lessons, but with what fucking time? Whenever he was not full of monster guts due to fighting, he was surrounded by the architects and engineers involved in the design of E-Garden. What the _hell_ was the Headmaster thinking when he sent him over here? Shouldn't Puberty-boy be here instead of him? He knew less than zilch about the inner workings of Garden infrastructure.

Oh, he could give them advise about strategic locations or what was needed in a training centre or in a gym –anything related to training or fighting– but he knew fucking diddly-squat about how Garden was run...

On the other hand, all the fighting had done wonders for his SeeD ranking… Of course, clearing a path in Lunatic Pandora, and leading the fight against a barrage of Behemoths plus a whole pride of Toramas in the Great Plains of Esthar _would _do just that! In any case, he hadn't expected any less. He knew the Headmaster wanted his ranking to go up as quickly as possible so that it would actually reflect his experience. He'd said as much to him in private that morning after the meeting, after he'd dismissed the rest of the team …

…

"_Seifer, you should take the opportunity that President Laguna has given you to raise your SeeD ranking. It should be child's play for someone with your ability."_

_Squall, present at the meeting, regarded Seifer steadily with a slightly challenging look in his eyes, and managed to surprised the latter when he said with an unexpected smirk on his lips, "Good luck, Seifer. . . Do your best!"_

…

Puberty-boy's tone at the time had seemed to imply that there was more to the mission than helping the Estharian Forces clean up Lunatic Pandora, but he hadn't cared. He'd welcomed the opportunity to see some action! In any case, as far as he was concerned, Squall was B-Garden's Commander; it was a given he would know extra shit. Maybe a year ago, before he got fucked up by Ultimecia, he would've given everything to be in P-boy's position, but now… Never in a million years would he want that fucking job! All Leonhart did was hack through mountains and mountains of bureaucratic work! When was the last time he had seen some real action? He smirked thinking, '**_Humph, P-boy would give his eye teeth to be here in my place!'_**

All the nine SeeDs that had come to Esthar with him, except for Darryl Stevenson, were rookies. All of them were pretty close in terms of age and ranking, with him and Stevenson being the oldest only by a year or so. He knew that Stevenson had fully expected to lead the squad, since in theory he had been SeeD for more than a full year, plus held the higher ranking. Seifer smiled humourlessly when he recalled the expression on Stevenson's face upon hearing Cid name _him_ the squad leader. He'd only allowed the jackass to question his leadership once, just to show how lenient he could be… They'd been waiting for Chicken-wuss to fly them on Ragnarok to Esthar's Airstation, when he'd 'overheard' Stevenson's stage whisper to some of the others…

…

"_With all of my SeeD credentials and my superior ranking, I'm by far the most obvious choice to be squad leader…"_

_Seifer ignored the jackass useless braying. He was too busy feeling put-upon by Trepe. She'd gone to B-City in the only free time he'd had available yesterday. He'd wanted to give her a **proper** goodbye… He'd been in the process of imagining the various pleasant welcome scenarios he would like her to greet him with, upon his return, when something that moron said to his increasingly fidgety and nervous audience caught his attention…_

"… _Of course, Mrs. Kramer and that girl, what's her name…? Rin-something… _**are**_ infamous Sorceresses, and _**he**_ was their lapdog…"_

…

_Seifer didn't give a fuck about what a little dipshit like Stevenson thought about him, but it pissed him majorly to hear the jackass slap Matron and Rinoa down! He went over to where the prick was holding audience. The others regarded his approach with various degrees of fear and alarm, but he ignored them. He wanted to insure his target was within range. Once that was accomplished, he casually let_ Hyperion_ –which was still inside its heavy case– fall on top of that jackass's foot. All 50 pounds of it… _

"_YEOWCH!"_

"_You were in my way, Stevenson…"_

_One of the others quickly bent to retrieve his case and return it to him._

"_Uh…Here you are, sir!"_

"_ALMASY! HOW DARE YOU DROP…!"_

"_Yo, people! LET'S GO!"_

_Chickenwuss's arrival had saved Stevenson from further injury; although by the look on Zell's face, he was also ready to dish out some punishment of his own. He had also overheard what the little dipshit had said about Matron and Rinoa. Seifer had already turned around to board Ragnarok when he heard Stevenson yell in acute pain. Again. After that, Dincht caught up with him, and slapped his back with a friendly, "Let's go, Asshole." Which he'd answered with an equally amiable, "After you, Chickenwuss…" They understood each other perfectly._

…

After that little incident, where he thought he'd acted more than nicely, he'd been merciless with the fucker. **_'No one messes with…'_** …Two shapely arms encircled his waist, while a soft mouth kissed him between the shoulder blades, and traced a slow path down his spine, over his buttocks…

"Seifer… is lonely… without… you…! **_–Hmmn–_** Come back… to bed…"

He closed his eyes as he felt her soft lips and wandering hands caress him. He was naked, not having bothered to put on anything when he left the bed, and she was taking full advantage of his nudity. Gently lifting her hands from him, he turned around to look down into Kiara's heated eyes. Grabbing her dark tresses, he positioned her mouth and said quietly.

"No. Do me here."

§

_Much later on…_

"Why can't you stay the night?"

Kiara asked the question petulantly. After the most amazing sex, she'd expected him to at least stay the night. Then sighed, the hottest ones never wanted to stay… She watched him as he began to get dressed, covering his magnificent body with that sleek _Gesperthane_ jumpsuit, a marvel of Estharian technology. The thick black material automatically moulded itself to the powerful contours of his tall body. She tried another tackle.

"Come for dinner tomorrow?"

"I dunno…"

His lack of commitment made her lose her temper. Turning around on bed to give him a view of her bare back, she mumbled.

"Fine! See if I care! You men…"

Her chin was seized, and a warm mouth sealed her lips with a hot kiss.

"See ya…"

Kiara heard the door glide open and then close. Sighing again, she sank into her fluffy pillows which still bore traces of his enticing male scent, and muttered peevishly into the darkness.

"Humph! I should've known better! Probably got someone back home! **_–Sigh–_** The hot ones always do…"

§ § §

"**_Arriving at sublevel 88, Crystal Hall 23H"_**  
"_**Please be careful with your step…"**_

The lift opened and Kiara stepped out along with the other members of her engineering team. They were accompanied by two SeeDs and a small squad of Estharian soldiers, but she didn't expect any trouble. She knew the area to be cleared of monsters, otherwise her team wouldn't have been sent down. Her thoughts turned inevitably to one stubborn, arrogant, incredibly sexy SeeD…

'**_Hyne! I shouldn't let him get to me, but I think I'm falling for him…'_** She knew that nothing would come from it. Just because she allowed him to practically fuck her blind every time he got the urge, it didn't mean that he was ready to commit to her… **_'Damn, Kiara Dessu! Since when did you _allow_ a guy to set up the agenda?'_** Ruefully she answered her own question, **_'Since his name is Seifer Almasy…'_** If it were only the sex, amazing though it was, but she knew that it was something more… **_'I know some of the others are jealous of me, 'cause I got him first… But to get a guy like him, you shouldn't act coy…'_**

She was going to enjoy him for as long as she could, **_'Maybe I can even make him change his mind in the long run, and get him to think about a more permanent relationship...'_** Kiara managed to surprise herself when she realized that she wouldn't mind this at all. No. The problem was… Would he? She thought it ironic that for once, it was she the one ready to a make a more serious commitment! The lift doors slid open again, revealing the subject of her thoughts striding towards them. After nodding a greeting her way, he stopped a few yards away to confer with the engineering team leader, Dr. Mara Preston.

At work, it was always like this. He acted courteously towards her, with the right amount of friendliness; because of this she'd thought at first that he wanted to keep their affair a secret from the others. Of course, she realized soon enough that her little theory made no sense, that he never hid the fact that they would sometimes go home or arrive together… Or that time when they all went clubbing, and she'd glued herself to him (to discourage the others). Instead of being annoyed with her blatant display, he had flashed her a lazy grin, and had casually placed an arm around her shoulders. Anyhow, that night she made **_sure _**everyone noticed them leaving together…

Sometimes this casual behaviour of his irritated her, and she would flirt with others, to see if she could get a reaction from him, but nothing. **_'Strange… I would've pegged him as being the extremely possessive type…' _**Kiara narrowed her eyes and frowned. Mara Preston had placed her well manicured hands on Seifer's forearm, as she gazed coquettishly into his sea green eyes while answering his queries, **_'Hyne, Mara! Keep your damned paws to yourself!'_** She smiled in satisfaction when she saw Seifer gently pry the doctor's claws from his arm, even as he acknowledged her replies.

"Hey, Kia! Will ya stop ogling him, and pay some attention to this?"

Pete Tarkin had said it good humouredly; he and Kia went _way_ back. He was not surprised that she would be screwing Almasy. He'd overheard more than one chick comment around the place on how hot he was… No, what surprised him was the incredible amount of time and energy Kia devoted to a guy who, as far as he'd been able to witness, did not return her regard the same way…

"Geez, Pete! I've already done all my calibrations! See?"

Kiara showed her long time friend the portable device where she had recorded all her data. Pete was a fun friend, but right now he was looking at her rather sombrely…

"Uh… Kia, d'you really know what you're doin' with that Almasy guy?"

"Huh? You're not gonna lecture me, right?"

"Nah… But, I'm afraid this guy can really hurt you…"

"What? You think I might actually fall for him?"

Kiara tried to infuse her voice with a teasing quality, but instead she sounded wobbly even to herself… Of course, Pete, who knew her very well, was not fooled at all.

"No, I think you already did, Kia."

§ § §

"_**You are entering Ramp0415 to exit into Sector 37"**_  
"_**Please merge into the flow of local traffic"**_  
"**_Speed of Flow is presently: No Limit "_**

Seifer sped back to his apartment; he needed to get up early tomorrow for yet another meet with Laguna and E-Garden's design team. He hadn't expected to be charged with making such decisions when he's been assigned onto this mission! He wondered again why the Headmaster had asked **_him_** of all people to oversee the project and to represent B-Garden… **_'Fuck, our little instructor would've been the better candidate for the post… Oh, but wait, she's fucking becoming FRT's First Lady, right!'_**

Tomorrow would mark the second month of his arrival to Esthar. He'd been kept so busy that he'd not had the chance to go home to Balamb, not even once! Of course, he'd kept in touch with the others. Even Chickenwuss buzzed him from time to time, if only to trade insults… Seifer smiled evilly to himself, they had even agreed to split on a gift for Puberty-boy's birthday, heh, heh… Too bad he hadn't been present if only to see P-boy's expression when he opened the box and saw what was inside! Irv's photo-images of the event were okay, but it was not the same as being _there_…

Except for his red-beet face when he'd opened their present, Puberty-boy looked quite content… Even Trepe managed to look less prissy in the various group images Irv had shot his way –he frowned– she was fucking showing way too much skin! **_'Oh shit! What do I care? She's screwing that moron Zone anyway! Let that littl' fucker worry about it!'_** From what Irv and then Squall told him, Trepe had been going quite often to Timber. The excuse being that she was brokering some deal between B-Garden and FRT… **_'What a fucking lame excuse!'_**

He felt incredibly annoyed at himself for obsessing over Trepe, again… He couldn't even blame it on unsatisfied lust, since he'd more than gorged himself on Kiara's willing body… And yet –he scowled– he couldn't dissipate the overall feeling of dissatisfaction that had been dodging him this entire fucking week! Nah, scrap that, he'd been irritable this entire fucking month! There was no denying that his body was sated, but… Even now, after a very nice little bout of unmitigated sex with Kia, he was still left with a strange sense of wanting…

The turbo lift doors slid open allowing him to stomp out. **_'Fucking great! This is startin' to piss me off!' _**He slammed the palm of his hand on the ID-plate of his door causing the abused mechanism to complain loudly.

"_**Dear Resident, the use of excessive force will result in system malfunction…"**_

He muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath, and was about to hit the ID-plate again with equal force, when the door to his apartment slid open.

"Hyne, Seifer! Why do you always have to be so impatient?"

§ § §

To be continued…


	35. Water

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_In Xanadu did Kubla Khan  
A stately pleasure-dome decree:  
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran  
Through caverns measureless to man  
Down to a sunless sea._  
–Coleridge–

Chapter 3:** Water**

She smiled at her ancestor's poetic conceit. Xanadu has long since been abandoned... More than a real place, it had become just another memory amongst the many her people were charged to preserve. As far as everyone knew –herself included– **_this_** place was all they had known for many generations.

_(What amuses you, Child of Sand?)_

_(The references made by the poet to Xanadu, and its last ruler...)_

_(If the Matriarch were to hear you speak so irreverently of that most Sacred of places she would be extremely displeased)_

_(Apart from you, my friend, who would carry such a tale to her?)_

_(You are indeed an impertinent one, Child of Sand)_

She smiled again, and gazed dreamily at the quiet stillness of the water. The Sea of Marid enclosed the City of Baal within its protective watery embrace. Enormous stalagmite pillars, taller than the city's highest building, soared from the quiet waters to point upwards in fierce defiance of the huge stalactites that hung menacingly down from the cavern's roof. If even one of them were to fall onto the city, it could cause unimaginable destruction. However, that was only a very vague thought, for in truth the natural halogenous crystal formations that grew on some of the stalactites provided the city with its light.

She turned and looked up at the soft light emitted by the glow flowers, as these incandescent crystals were called, that dotted the stalactites above her. She could hear the faint murmur of the subterranean waterways as they flowed from one lagoon into another… This isolated ledge was her thinking place, away from the noisy bustle of the city. She enjoyed its quiet solitude, mingled with the intermittent tinkling sound of drops as they slid off the massive stalactites. She had much to ponder upon…

_(Child of Sand, you should confide your dreams to the Matriarch)_

_(I know, my friend, but this time they seem so trivial… I hesitate to trouble her)_

_(No dreams of yours has ever been considered trivial, Child of Sand)_

Her dreams of late, rather than being disturbing, were a very strange mixture of the peculiar with the inconsequential. She couldn't make any heads nor tails of them… To her great surprised, she blushed. **_'I cannot understand the possible significance of such an odd dream!'_** For the first time in her life, her dreaming left her perplexed instead of troubled. She just didn't know what to make of it…

Usually, her recurring dreams bothered her greatly for they were a presage of change, not always for the better. Because of them, the ban to the surface was lifted two years ago and once again, like in the days of old, her people had a small trading post at the very border of the desert … But the cost had been too high, and the benefits were as yet to be seen. All the experience had done was to confirm the notion that many already had: The surface was an extremely dangerous place. Best she never were to dream again. A futile hope.

The interdiction to the surface had existed long before her birth, upheld by at least two generations of Matriarchs. Of course, the path to the above was so arduous and dangerous that very few people ventured out. Therefore the ban had only affected a very minute portion of Baal: the Guild of Surface Traders. She thought it ironic that the only group that would've been rejoiced by the change were no longer in existence. According to the records of the era she'd accessed in the Grand Library of Zaouia, the guild had bitterly opposed the interdiction. They had even resorted to the extreme length of trying to incite the citizenry to revolt against it, but to their utter disappointment their attempts to rally the people were met with supreme indifference.

The truth of the matter was that the vast majority did not care, nor want to surface. Their lives revolved around Baal, and its three satellites: Agares, Zaouia, and Valefor. The waterways that interconnected all four were always busy with traffic. People associated the surface with danger, and wanted nothing to do with it. From what she could gather by reading the records, something terrible had hit the surface more than 80 years ago. The reverberations of it, had been felt all the way here, deep in the subterranean City of Baal. The Matriarch at the time had placed the interdiction to protect the people from some unknown threat. And for reasons unspecified in the public archives, the ban to the surface had remained until recently.

As far as she knew, only one person had ever broken the interdiction: Her birth father. He paid the price for his defiance. The Matriarch forbade him to return. The path home was forever barred to him …

_(Ahansal Amazigh was a valiant man, but too proud and ambitious. Baal was too small a place for such a mortal. The desire in his heart to go beyond the limits of Zefirah Cavern was great, and he would spend many a days in the Grand Library reading the logs of the now defunct Guild of Surface Traders)_

_(For me, he's as mythical as the lost Xanadu. He left when I was still in the womb. I was never told why he left, only that he did, and that he was bound by magic to never return…)_

_(Zoraida Alkhash-ka did what she had to in order to uphold the edict, Child of Sand. It was not an easy task for her, but not even the Matriarch's Chosen One is above the laws of the Kashkabald People)_

_(No one should be, my friend. It is because of our laws that we have been able to survive here for more than one millennia after the long migratory trek from the surface) _

_(The surface your people left, Child of Sand, has since changed its geography many times over…)_

_(Call me selfish, if you will. I care not what the surface looks like! My life is here with my people… I don't understand the Matriarch's insistence that I learn to accept the surface!)_

_(Child of Sand, you are but young…)_

Two years ago, she'd had the same dream for a whole month. She was surrounded by an neverending expanse of golden sand. Her eyes were blinded by the light emitted by a bright incandescent orb she knew to be the sun. Unlike the soothing light of glow flowers, the light in her dream burned her eyes and lit her skin aflame! She knew that the vast blue vault above her was the sky, and that it was infinite. Then the image would change and she would find herself standing in a strange area… so lush and green! She had felt a great longing to stay there and never move… Then it would change again to scenes of such carnage and devastation that for days she would refuse to sleep, just so she wouldn't have to dream them again…

Finally, unable to withstand days of not sleeping, but finding her dreams to be unbearable when she did allow herself to do so, she had gone to the Matriarch for counselling. She would often do that. Hold off until she couldn't bear it anymore. She remembered that after she finished recounting her dream, the Matriarch had looked at her gravely and decreed that it was time for her to leave Baal and go to the surface…

…

"_You shall set out after the sounding of the waking Gongs. Yusuf shall be your guide. Iolanthe and Omar shall accompany you as well."_

"_Am I being banished?" She was confused, and her voice echoed that confusion._

"_No, my daughter, I believe the time has come to lift the interdiction. I'm sending you to scout the above. Yusuf is one of the few who still remembers the way upwards. The way was fraught with danger in the past, and it has become worse now. Omar and Iolanthe are very capable warriors. You shall be needing their support."_

_The Matriarch stood up, and went to a long rectangular ornamental panel elaborately carved with the symbols of Baal and the Kashkabald People. At the touch of her fingertips, the panel disappeared to reveal an elegant looking halberd. The sharp blade gleamed even under the soft light of the glow flowers that dotted the high ceiling of the Matriarch's chamber._

"_Behold the _Ashura_, my child. This weapon was wielded by Onna, Erythraea's daughter, and from her in direct succession mother to daughter, to us, her descendents." _

_The Matriarch took the weapon from its holder and solemnly presented it to her, holding the pole horizontally with both hands._

"_It is time for you to wield it." Suddenly, the Matriarch's solemn gaze turned sad, "You dreamt of your own destiny, my daughter. Now you must learn to fulfil it."_

…

Unable to bear her own thoughts, she stood up to gaze into the soothing waters of Marid…. The journey to the surface had cost them Yusuf's life. Although they had been warned by the Matriarch, they had been overconfident of their own skill. No. **_She_** had been too overconfident!

_(Child of Sand, you should not berate yourself. Yusuf understood the consequences of the choice he made. He was ready to greet the Great Beyond…)_

_(It was my fault! I was arrogant and overconfident!)_

_(Yusuf trusted your judgement, Child of Sand, to the very end)_

_(I betrayed that trust!)_

_(No. You honoured that trust by not taking the choice he made lightly)_

_(Why, Fravashir? Why?)_

_(The choice was very clear to Yusuf Roshd. He had completed his tasks. You had only began yours, Child of Sand)_

Yusuf's demise would be a deep sorrow she would carry to the end of her days… Not only had he been a beloved family retainer, but most importantly, a friend and her mentor. Now, even after two years, she bitterly mourned his passing. She wished the lessons she needed to learn were not so costly. Her dreams were dangerous…

_(Yours is a gift of the gods, Child of Sand. In the long forgotten past, a gift such as yours would've been confined to the Oracular Altar where it could be amplified and perfected…)_

_(Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, my friend, but the idea of attaining divinity like my long gone ancestress holds absolutely no appeal to me…)_

_(To become one with the gods is a great honour, Child of Sand. You should not scoff at the notion) _

_(Please accept my apologies, friend, if I have offended you… But you should know better than anyone that not all mortals aspire godhood…)_

_(Child of Sand, Erythraea and the Necromancer Ormus defied the laws of mortals with their love, but not the will of the gods)_

_(I understand, my friend)_

Blip! Blip!

"Zuleima."

The voice belonged to her kinsman, and friend.

"Yes, Omar?"

"The Matriarch has summoned you."

"I'm on my way."

§ § §

"_No words exist that can best describe the mysterious City of Baal, the last refuge of the Kashkabald People. A seasoned traveller can traverse the entire length of the Desert that bear their name for an entire lifetime, and never find the way. In fact, the only path into Baal is not to look for it, but to get hopelessly lost in the unmitigated labyrinth of sand… Or so the ancient saying goes, 'Thou cannot find Baal. It will find thee…'…"_

…

"_The flight from Astaroth was long and hard. In the end, the Lady chose to stay behind after sealing the secret stairway with the following caveat:_

Impia Tortorum Longos Hic Turba Furores

Sanguinis Innocui, Non Satiata, Aluit

_Child of my Flesh, Child of the Future, in time you will understand the heavy portend of this warning. These words are not to be taken lightly for they belong to the Order of Zaruthra. I, Ormus, know that one day you, my descendent, shall be reading this which I have written. With the same terrible certainty I know the Order or Zaruthra will also have prevailed and survived the Great Cataclysm. Perhaps in your time, their guise will have changed, but certainly not their manner. **They are not to be trusted**."_

…

"_Please forgive this slight deviation from the narrative, but I beg you to take heed of my advice."_

…

"_As I mentioned, after we sealed the secret stairway, my Lady decided to make her last stand by stalling our attackers in the Throne Room. She knew, like I did, that the complicated ritual performed on Lord Odin needed time to attain completion, but we ignored how much time. In truth, no mortal has ever attempted to become one of the Fravashirs, but it was the only way of preventing the Seal of Aleph from weakening. Astaroth might be no more, but with Lord Odin's sacrifice, the power of Astaroth should guard the Aleph until the world is healed once again…"_

…

"_Nothing I said would make my Lady deviate from her resolve. Like the Lord Odin, she entrusted me with the care of the twins… To honour her, I took oath upon the blood of my ancestors that I would do whatever was needed to ensure that the children reach their destination: Dohletia had to be taken North; her brother, Ishtarius, to the South. The oath I made binds all those who carry my blood with the deepest magic to fulfil the promise." _

"_The enemy was wily and full of malice, but the Lady Xioma came from a powerful lineage of blue magic casters. I had no doubt in my mind that she would buy us the time needed to escape the Castle. I will not dwell in the parting of the Lady and her children for it was very painful to behold, and my heart still feels heavy whenever I recall the scene… All I will say is that after she bade her children farewell, she looked me straight in the eye and smiled. I bowed to her deeply. We both knew that our next meeting would be taking place in the Great Beyond…"_

…

Zuleima paused from reading Ormus's account of his flight from Astaroth, and of his subsequent entry into Baal. If the Matriarch had hoped that her confusion and resistance to the surface would be cleared by reading this, she was lacking her usual foresight. If anything…she was even more confused now than before! She felt like a child again, being told over and over again that everything would be making more sense with time!…

She had been mystified when Omar contacted her, wondering on why the Matriarch would summon her… The midday gong had long been sounded, its echoes reverberating throughout Zefirah Cavern with the answering gongs from Valefor, Zaouia and Agares. Her meeting with the Matriarch was brief and to the point. In her hands, she now held the **_Book of Ormus_**, the legacy from her long time ancestor. A most unusual book. Nevertheless, having the book in her possession did not bother her as much as what the Matriarch had said when she'd given it to her…

…

"_Zuleima, you must prepare yourself for the unforeseen. The _Book of Ormus _which had long been held in our possession has claimed you as its reader."_

"_Matriarch…?"_

"_No, my daughter, in time you will understand the significance of my words…"_

…

She closed the book. Golden eyes examined its plain brown cover pensively. It resembled the ancient texts on magic that the Matriarch kept in her private library. –**_Humph_**– This one was strangely thin… She turned it around to examine its back… very plain looking… and old –very old–. Much older than most books in the Matriarch's keeping, except for the One. Another peculiarity, not even the Matriarch herself knew of the exact contents of the book, because it would not open for anyone, save for her, Zuleima. And she could not choose which page to read…rather the book chose the pages on her behalf. **_'_The Book of Ormus_ is a most peculiar text…'_** She passed her fingertips softly over the cover, and felt a slight tingle at the tips of her fingers… The tingle of an answering magic.

Abruptly, Zuleima stood up and placed the book on a nearby table. It was time for surface patrol. Even if she had all the time in the world, the book only allowed her to read certain excerpts, and no more. No matter how she leafed through it, or where she held it open, she would find herself reading the same passages… She went to the small arsenal where she kept her weapons, and grabbed the _Ashura _ from its usual hook.

She prized the _Ashura_ above all other things in her possession. During battle, the_ Ashura_ could be split into its two components: the _Taira, _a pole, and the _Majapahit_, a keris blade. She zipped up her overall and strapped _Ashura _in its usual place on her back. In her hands, she carried the mask that would protect her face from the desert's devastating sandstorms…

_(You did not tell the Matriarch of your latest dream, Child of Sand)_

_(No… but I've dreamt about him again… The stranger with hair the colour of sand, and eyes like the sky. Strange symbols mark the left side of his face… Somehow I sense a restless energy emanating from the very core of his being…)_

_(I counsel you to confide in the Matriarch. This same young man has been appearing in your dreams for over a fortnight, Child of Sand, you should not dismiss them out of hand)_

_(Very strange and unusual monsters have been found preying on our desert caravans to the Trading Post… I did not think it appropriate to mention to the Matriarch that I've been dreaming about a strange young man!)_

_(Ah! You are embarrassed, Child of Sand)_

_(No!)_

_(We are mind-speaking and yet you think you can lie to me…)_

_(There are more important matters at hand)_

_(It is as you say…)_

§

_At the Gateway to the Sea of Marid…_

Omar Roshd watched his cousin emerge from the Main Grotto archway with some amusement. As usual she was walking with her usual determined stride, calmly acknowledging with a brief nod in the head all the people that had gathered to greet her. No matter how much Zuleima disliked the comparison, many considered her to be the living image of the fabled Erythraea before she became a Sibyl.

The only image they had of the Sibyl was a very ancient carving located in Agares, and Zuleima's resemblance to it was quite remarkable… However, barring the physical likeness, the acuity of Zuleima's insight was…uncanny –for lack of a better word–, and her dreams… For the most part, they were normal, but the few that were not had to be taken very seriously for they were prophetic in nature. Or Zuleima's hand-clasp… Omar recalled an incident quite a few years ago involving the Kazar of Valefor...

At the time he was feeling very proud, because he had earned the privilege of guarding the Matriarch. The youngest warrior to have earned the post. Zuleima herself was barely fifteen. She had been sulking because she had wanted that honour for herself, but the Matriarch had bade her to perform birth-daughter duties… Omar sniggered at the memory… Zuleima had been furious. She hated to wear the long ceremonial robes, and she disliked the Kazar of Valefor calling him an '_unctuous toad_'.

Naturally, as befitting the only birth-daughter of the Grand Matriarch of the Kashkabald People, Zuleima had been trained from the cradle to control her emotions. However, on that particular occasion, instead of uttering words of welcome after the ceremonial hand-clasp she had greeted that grand personage with a warning, _'Beware of your penchant of collecting jewelled rings for it may cost you your dearly…'_ Since that particular person's fondness for jewelry was very well known, he had just laughed loudly and bowed deeply to both the Matriarch and Zuleima saying, _'Great Matriarch! Your birth-child does you great credit for she had grown in beauty…'_ With his carefully well-chosen words, he had completely dismissed his cousin's counsel, and what was worse, by praising her looks, he had reduced Zuleima to a piece of pretty ornamentation.

Several weeks later, the Kazar almost died from poisoning. Granted, there were probably quite a few people in Valefor who could have done the deed, for that particular personage was not very popular…but the culprit was not a person. Rather the culprit was a very rare and beautiful jewelled ring that the Kazar had recently purchased from a very reputable dealer… It was rumoured to have belonged to one of Lord Odin's most trustworthy retainers. In his eagerness to wear it, the Kazar had ignored the note that the dealer had tucked inside the box, warning the Kazar to be careful. It was a suicide ring. It had a hidden mechanism that when triggered would poison the wearer…

"Omar, ready?"

He interrupted the train of his thoughts to look at his cousin fondly, "Yes."

"Where's Iolanthe?"

"She was assigned to guard the Kazar of Agares."

"And she doesn't mind?"

He smiled at her incredulous gaze, "She's a warrior. She'll do what she's told."

Zuleima snorted at her cousin's reply, and kept her thoughts to herself. They signalled their people, and started moving towards the light watercraft that would take them through the first leg of their long trek to the surface.

§ § §

…_Concurrently, Surface, Ruins of Astaroth_

Three armed figures are standing before the towering statue of a huge demon with widespread wings and deep red bejewelled eyes. One of them, a slender young woman holding a whip in her hand, says something to a tall young man wearing a hat, and starts towards what looks like an entrance, when she's stopped abruptly by the other young man, a tall blonde holding a wicked looking gunblade. He seems very displeased, and is frowning down at the girl.

"…Seifer! What now?"

"Sniper-boy first… He's got the nice shotgun, see?"

The girl grimaces and ignores the sniper's snickering. She tries to shake off the blonde boy's arm, but he won't be budged. Using his gunblade, he signals the sniper to enter, he then grabs the girl's arm and drags her inside with him. If glances could kill, the tall young man would be dead now. Soon, they too disappear inside…

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

My apologies for the long wait, but I need to interrelate all the threads in the narrative now, so this takes time. I would appreciate it very much if anyone would be kind enough to point out any discrepancies you find in terms of plot, etc…

Thanks in advance…


	36. Density

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_Nobody says it's pretty here,  
nobody says it's easy either.  
What it is is decisive,  
and if you pay attention to the street plans,  
all laid out, the City can't hurt you._  
–Toni Morrison–

Chapter 4: **Density **

"_**Dear Passengers, your attention please!"**_  
"**_Our next stop will be: Shopping Concourse B–Eastern Mall–Sector 07"_**  
"**_Have a nice day!" _**

A tall and slender blonde woman, indifferent or most likely unaware of her fellow passenger's admiring stares, steps out of the public airtram. She looks preoccupied, but her walk is brisk, and she seems to know where she's going. She's not dressed in a flashy or provocative fashion, rather her attire is a serviceable one. Although on a body such as hers, even a plain shirt worn over a pair of faded jeans have the power to draw a lot of appreciative stares, and unfortunately quite a few leering ones too. Her hair is simply pulled back from her face into a pony tail, but again, the simplicity of the hairstyle only serves to emphasize the stark beauty of her features. She stops in front of one the many informational holographic displays available in the mall, and reaches inside her slouch bag in search of something.

§

Quistis finally found her new Portable Device… It was so tiny! She wanted to check again the instructions Ellone had given her, just to make sure that she was in the right place! Used to Balamb City's more humane proportions, she was trying real hard not to feel overwhelmed by the vastness of the huge shopping concourse; indeed, by the very vastness of the city itself. The last time she was here, almost two years ago, she'd been too busy feeling sorry for Squall, and too worried about Rinoa being unconscious to actually notice the immensity that was Esthar City… **_'In any case, I was only here for a very short period… I went with Squall and Rinoa to the Lunar Base. Now, that was a breathtaking experience!'_** She gazed enviously at the people going about their business in the huge mall. They seemed so self-assured of where they were, and where they were going…

Ever since her arrival here… Was it almost two months ago? She felt like such a country bumpkin, desperately trying to fit in, trying to get used to the sheer size of Esthar City. Its sheer verticality… Had it not been for the fact that she was kept so busy at work, she would be feeling quite lonely and homesick. **_'Poor Sis tries her best to cheer me up, but she has so many social obligations!'_** Her thoughts strayed automatically to her difficult roommate, **_ 'And Seifer… I truly don't understand him at all!'_**

She knew that the last time they've seen each other had been less than propitious, but their meeting in Esthar couldn't have been worse!... She had only just arrived a few hours ago, and had been rather tired… not to mention feeling a bit apprehensive when she'd been literally deposited at Seifer's doorstep by Laguna. She knew that Seifer hadn't been expecting her, because of the short notice…

**_She_** hadn't been expecting this particular post when she had gone to the Headmaster's office in answer to his summons. She'd just returned to B-Garden after procuring some very lucrative contracts with FRT on Garden's behalf. She'd even gotten used to all the media attention whenever she was spotted with Zone, although she was far from liking it. As far as she'd been concerned, the paparazzi in Timber were an inescapable evil. Zone was after all, their President and he was unattached… **_'I hope he took my advice and moved on. Even if Rinoa were to leave Squall, she would not go to Zone. For her, he's like the big brother she never had…'_**

Her initial assumption on being summoned to Cid's office, had been that the Headmaster needed some clarification on the contracts she'd brokered at Timber on their behalf. Of course, upon spotting Laguna seated next to a very tense looking Squall, that supposition flew out the window… She should've suspected something when she noticed Matron's presence there as well. That should've alerted her of what was to come! If not that, the fact that Matron had been the first one in that silent group to speak up…

…

"_Quistis, child, we have a very great favour to ask of you…" Edea's gaze, full of entreaty, stared directly into Quistis's eyes._

"_Uh, yeah, well…" Laguna was fumbling as usual for words. Hard to believe in such a man who had penned some of the best articles ever published by_ Timber Maniacs_. It was obvious he was feeling supremely uncomfortable, in a typical Laguna gesture, he scratched the back of his neck before mumbling, "I'd like to invite you to Esthar…"_

Quistis just stared at everyone feeling thoroughly confused. Squall, nearing the end of his patience, interjected in his usual succinct way.

"_Quistis, you're needed to act as Seifer's aid in Esthar. They want to make him E-Garden's Commander, but he needs your guidance."_

…

Soon after that, she found herself quickly packing a suitcase, and being flown back to Esthar on the Ragnarok with Laguna! The President of Esthar himself, had escorted her to the very door of the apartment she would be sharing with Seifer. However, once there he'd only stayed long enough to wish her good luck, and to give her a quick peck on the cheek before taking a swift leave. She even remembered thinking at the time, **_'Laguna Loire! You big coward!'_** She was left standing there, in front of Seifer's doorstep next to her suitcase, hesitant herself to ring the bell…

Impatient with her own cowardice, she'd taken a deep breath, and had finally pressed the ringer. She could hear it resounding inside, but there was no answer. Frowning, she'd pressed it one more time. Again, no answer. Worried in spite of herself, she'd entered the apartment using the code Laguna had given her, and rushed inside, _Save the Queen_ on the ready… Only to find the apartment empty of its occupant. Exhaling a suppressed breath, she'd been surprised to find the place in such a pristine condition. Somehow she'd expected it to look like a pigsty, and then had berated herself for falling victim to stereotypes, while remembering at the same time what Laguna told her, that the apartment came conveniently with housekeeping services…

Feeling more curious than exhausted, she'd explored the apartment. It was huge! It consisted of four large bedrooms, a living area and a completely separate dining room! The kitchen was immense, and it was extremely well-stocked. The large living area served to divide the bedrooms nicely. One set of two bedrooms were located on the corridor to the left of the living area, separated from it by a wall. The second set of rooms echoed that arrangement on the right side.

She quickly noticed that Seifer had appropriated the two rooms to the left, sleeping in one, and using the other to serve as office space by the amount of plans, and blueprints that were strewn all over. Making a quick decision, she'd chosen the larger of the two bedrooms on the right, not because of its size, but because it had a balcony, and the most spectacular view of Esthar City with the hovering Lunatic Pandora as backdrop…

_Ring! Ring!_

Brought back to the present by the sound of her communicator, Quistis scrambled to answer it.

"Quistis Trepe, here."

"Quisty! Where are you?"

"Sis, I'm so glad you called! I couldn't figure out the store location! There are so many choices here!"

"Oh, Quisty! Why didn't you use the convenience vehicle Uncle Laguna left for you?"

She was rather thankful that Sis couldn't see the expression on her face. For the sake of expediency, she hadn't minded taking the pre-programmed car to and from the various work sites, but to have it cart her around the city like some helpless invalid?... No, thank you!

"It's alright, Sis. The city's public transport system is very good, and not really that hard to use. I'm at the Shopping Concourse in Sector Oh-Seven…"

"Good! Did you get off in Platform B?"

"…Yes… Let me verify my location… Yes, I did…"

"Good! Now you will see five areas marked each with a different colour, take the red…"

§

_Inside Cheryl's Style Emporium…_

"Here's the dress, my dear! All packaged and ready to go! It was very nice for you to pick it up on Miss Loire's behalf!"

Quistis smiled a the kindly sales assistant, and took the fancy bag she was given before replying.

"It was no trouble. Ellone is extremely busy these days, and I had the day off!"

"If you don't mind me saying so, young lady, you should come when Mme. Cheryl is in! I'm sure she would love to create a dress for you!"

"Oh, thank you, but I'm okay for the moment!"

Smiling again, she left the exclusive boutique where Sis got most of her dresses made. As she made her way to the nearest airtram stop, Quistis was thinking to herself, **_'There's no way I'm paying that kind of money for a dress!'_** There really was no occasion for her to wear anything as fancy as what she'd just picked up for Sis. She was kept too busy doing the run around from the Presidential Palace to E-Garden's construction site! She understood now why they had asked her to come. Seifer couldn't be in two places at once. Sometimes he could be away for more than a week when leading the teams around Lunatic Pandora,**_ and _**the E-Garden Development needed constant attention as well!

It wasn't that she had no social life whatsoever. To be quite fair, in spite of his busy schedule, Laguna would sometimes take time off to show her around the various different Sectors that conformed the City. Kiros and Ward had taken her out to dinner on various occasions, plus Sis would always make it a point to do something with her at least once a week!... Quistis stopped her musings to look around, just to make sure that she was going in the correct direction… Suddenly, she caught the glimpse of a very pretty face dominated by large blue eyes, and framed by long dark hair. The unmistakeable face of Sasha Tavares. Unfortunately, some passer-bys stepped right in front of her, and the face was gone. Vanished into the crowd.

Almost by reflex Quistis junctioned Shiva, and with her senses thus enhanced, she turned in the direction where she last saw Sasha. She searched for the familiar face in the sea of people around her, but Sasha was gone. **_'Maybe I'm just imagining things…'_** The logical part of her mind told her that Sasha Tavares was in Centra under the careful scrutiny of her parents, and not here in the bustling city of Esthar, located on the other side of the world. But she still felt uneasy, **_'Maybe I ought to mention this to Seifer…'_** She discarded the idea immediately. Their first meeting here had more or less defined their relationship in Esthar …

…

_After exploring the apartment thoroughly, she foolishly decided to unpack. She knew it had been a bad decision when after a while she was ready to collapse from sheer exhaustion! She was about to rest on one of the sofas, when she heard someone slam something real hard outside, followed by some muted swearing. Knowing without looking who it was, she went to the door and unlocked it for him…_

"_Hyne, Seifer! Why do you always have to be so impatient?"_

_To say that he was surprised would be an understatement._

"_Trepe! What the _**fuck**_ are you doin' here!"_

_She hadn't answered immediately… Maybe because he'd been close enough for her to catch a very feminine scent emanating from him. Maybe because she'd spotted a hickey or two on the side of his neck, as his jumpsuit had been partially unzipped… _

"_Uh… … … I was sent here by the Headmaster to act as your aide in E-Garden Development …"_

_Being neither slow-witted nor blind, he had immediately noticed the direction of her gaze, and arrived at the right conclusions. In typical Seifer style, he looked at her straight in the eye before saying with a slight smirk on his face. _

"_As you can see, I've kept myself _very_ busy."_

_She didn't know why, what he did was none of her business, but she wanted to smack that taunting face of his. Badly. He'd known it too. It was in his gaze. He was daring her to do it. The challenge was there, written all over him, but she'd contained herself. The flicker of something smouldering in the back of those deep sea green eyes had stopped her. But as he raked those mocking eyes over her body, she'd wanted to slap that smirk off his face so badly. Unaware of what she was doing, her hands had been tightly balled into fists… But he –the arrogant jerk– had noticed… Determined to keep her cool, with iron resolve she turned around, and went into the room she'd chosen for herself._

"_Goodnight, Seifer."_

_He never asked her why she was sharing an apartment with him, and she never bothered telling him the reason._

…

After the initial awkwardness, mostly from her part, they'd settled into a routine of sorts. Quistis stirred her coffee and took a sip of her favourite brew, her eyes watching the hustle and bustle of the busy shopping concourse. Her foolish search for Sasha had made her miss the airtram, but it _was_ her day off. She didn't have to rush anywhere… The first day she'd had off **ever**,since her arrival here!

She decided to explore the area, and to try and familiarize herself with the city. Perhaps she could have dinner later in one of the many restaurants around here. Sector 07 was one of the busiest commercial sectors in Esthar's Capital. One good thing she did like about being here, was that people might stare at her sometimes, but she was mostly left alone. In that respect, being here was like being at home in Balamb. Estharians were a very polite and civilized people!

As she sipped her coffee, azure eyes unconsciously searched the crowd for another glimpse of Sasha Tavares. Seifer acted like a stranger these days… Still, part of her couldn't help but worry about him anyway. She remembered Sasha's strange obsession with him. Was it so farfetched an idea that she could've found out where Seifer was stationed, and made a move to stalk him? She snorted,**_ 'Quistis, just listen to yourself!... I _must_ suffer from some sort of big-sister complex!'_** In any case, none of it made any sense! If she were to go to Seifer with her rather crazy theory, he would jeer at her!

Quistis made a face, **_'No, the_ old _Seifer would've jeered at me… This new one, this polite stranger she lived with…'_** He would simply look at her with a blank face, and dismiss her concerns. She barely recognized this facet of him…

At work he was a slave driver, always watching her coldly like a hawk, making her report to him every single minute detail of any meeting he might have missed. As if she would make any important decisions without consulting him! When he was around, whether in the Presidential Palace or at E-Garden's site he _demanded_ she give him all of her attention. At least _this_ Seifer she could understand, arrogant and annoyingly controlling. Whenever he was around, the others kept their distance for fear of being barked at… Or just out of sheer fear.

At home, however, they both went to incredible lengths to keep things civil. If, for example, they were to meet in the kitchen, they acted with an almost unnatural politeness toward each other. Had someone told her, they would end up like this two years ago, she would've laughed at the notion. And yet, she sensed somehow that the surface tranquillity of their home life was just a veneer, a thin cover over something that was simmering underneath… A something just waiting to be unleashed.

For the most part, they avoided each other. It wasn't really very hard as he was rarely home at night when she was, choosing to spend his nights –at least partially– with his girlfriend. She knew. No matter how quiet he would be when returning home, she always knew he was back. And he always returned. Then, the strangest thing would happen, once she knew he was home, she would sleep like the dead until morning…

As to commuting together to work… She'd been going to work by herself, using the pre-programmed transport Laguna had provided for her. She'd been horrified that first morning, when Seifer had taken her to the Presidential Palace in his bike…

…

"_I'm not riding on that thing with you!"_

_He'd tossed her a helmet and said (ordered), "Get on."_

"_No!" She'd caught the helmet by pure reflex, and clutching the thing to her breast she'd stubbornly repeated, "I'm not getting on that thing!"_

_He hadn't bothered replying. He just walked to where she was standing on the curb, scooped her up ignoring her surprised cry, and placed her roughly on the bike._

"_We're going to be fucking late! Either you ride in the back, or I fucking scoop you up again and you ride seated on my lap!" He smirked evilly at her, "And believe me, Trepe, I'll enjoy it much more than you."_

_After giving him a killing glare, she adjusted the helmet on her head, and waited for him to mount the bike. After placing _Hyperion_ securely in the holster specially designed for it, he mounted the bike. Awkwardly, she placed her arms around his lean waist, trying stiffly to avoid having as much contact as possible with the taut muscles of his back._

"_Where's your helmet, Seifer?" _

_Briefly looking back at her, he'd smiled wickedly, "You're wearing it. Hang on tight… Instructor!"_

_After saying that he powered-up the bike, and they were on their way to work._

…

She remembered tossing propriety to the wind, and trying to hang on to him for dear life! He was a damned speed maniac! After that little incident, she'd demanded to have her own transport! At first, Laguna had kindly provided her with her own vehicle, but after getting hopelessly lost in Esthar's vast network of skyways, he's offered her the pre-programmed vehicle... Quistis grimaced, it was ironic that she could face the largest Behemoth unfazed, but the very thought of driving through Esthar's early morning traffic scared the hell out of her…

Her first few weeks in the job had been pretty eventful, but nothing she hadn't been able to handle. She'd been pleasantly surprised at how well the nine SeeDs that formed Seifer's squad were doing. They had learned to work in synch with the Estharian forces assigned to the two projects. Even Darryl Stevenson who had always though too much of himself, behaved like he was part of a well-oiled machine… They had all become very effective and proficient in what they were doing. Of course, with Seifer as their leader, they really had no choice… He himself thought nothing about breaking rules, but if _anyone_ dared to deviate even slightly from _his_ directive… She felt very sorry for that poor person!

Even though she was not assigned to work on the Lunatic Pandora Project, but she still got to know the group of scientists and engineers involved in the Project, simply because the personnel from that project shared the same facilities with the E-Garden Development team. They were all a very nice lot, but she truly wished they'd called her Quistis, and not 'Instructor Trepe'! Hyne, a lot of them were top rank professionals! Unfortunately, they had all taken their cue from Seifer…

…

_On Quistis's second day in Esthar, Seifer assembled everyone present at the Tears' Point Compound, and placing a heavy hand on her shoulder announced._

"_Listen up, everyone! This is Instructor Trepe, she's been assigned by Garden to act as my aide."_

_Quistis smiled, all the time wishing she could shake that controlling hand from her shoulder, and said, "Hi, everyone! Please, call me Quistis." She tried to bow, but that hand on her shoulder was like a manacle._

_If she felt his hand tighten it's grip on her, she didn't show it, but she did frown slightly when he continued glibly, "**Instructor** Trepe is to work mainly in the development of Esthar Garden, but she will also be acting as my second-in-command…"_

…

In spite of all her overtures to be addressed as simply 'Quistis', she'd remained 'Instructor Trepe' forever in everyone's mind. Whether she liked it or not. In any case, everyone was pretty nice and friendly in a very polite way. A few days after she'd been introduced to the group, she was having lunch with some of them when their conversation was interrupted by the intrusion of a gorgeous dark haired girl who introduced herself as Kiara Dessu, one of the engineers in the LP project…

…

"_Hi! Someone here pointed out to me that you're Seifer's instructor?" She'd stared at Quistis dubiously, "You don't look much like an instructor to me…"_

"_Hey, Kiara! That's so rude!"_

"_Well, I **was** Seifer's instructor," Quistis smiled ruefully at the girl, ignoring her rather hostile stare, "But as you can see, he has more than graduated." She shrugged her shoulders, "So I'm really his **ex**-instructor…"_

"_Oh, I see! So why does he still call you 'instructor' then? You cannot be that much older than he is…!"_

"_Instructor Trepe, you don't have to answer Kia's questions!"_

"_It's okay… Some relationships are hard to shake off, and I **am** older than Seifer…" She tried to speak reassuringly at an sceptical looking Kiara, "He and I grew up together, you see… We were raised together…"_

_Kiara's brow cleared, "Oh, I see, so you're sort of like an older sister to him?"_

_Quistis hesitated slightly before nodding, "Yeah, you could call our relationship that…" Inside she thought to herself, **'Just don't mention it to Seifer…'**_

…

With hindsight, Quistis smiled wryly to herself, **_'Of course she would be curious about me… It's her perfume I smelled on Seifer the night of my arrival…'_**. She sighed, all things being considered, Kiara Dessu was not such a bad person after all, but somehow she was finding it very hard to relate to her. There was nothing to _dislike_ about Kiara, but she couldn't bring herself to like her either… **_'Oh, well… In the long run it doesn't matter if we cannot like each other. We don't have to work together anyways…' _**Seifer never brought Kiara home, and she had never asked…

Even after Kiara found out that she was Seifer's roommate, and 'offered' to trade places with her, Seifer never invited her to their apartment. He had also vetoed Kiara's suggestion of trading places. In his typical arrogant style, he just issued a categorical, "**No**" to Kiara's idea. To Quistis's utter surprise, Kiara did not bother to argue with him. Perhaps because he spent most of his free time with her. It also helped that Kiara believed her relationship with Seifer to be that of siblings…

After those initial weeks … Their life settled into some sort of pattern. He spent a lot of time inside Lunatic Pandora clearing up a path to the core –sometimes he would be gone for an entire week– and she would spend most of hers conferring with E-Garden's design team. She always made sure Seifer was present when the most crucial aspects of the design were being decided. She had been pleasantly surprised at some of his suggestions, like for example the creation of a Field Exam Holographic Simulation, but they only served to confirm something she'd known all along. He was extremely intelligent. If only he hadn't been such an unmanageable firebrand, he would've made SeeD long time ago, and perhaps changed history…

–_**Nautilus Weapon's Parts–**_

She stopped in front of the store. Irvine's birthday would be soon, and she still hadn't found anything appropriate for him…

§

_An few hours later…_

She'd added an extra bag to her load, and her purse was much lighter, but she was sure Irv would **_love_** her present. He was forever tweaking and remodelling his _Exeter_. Quistis was sure he would like the special set of Pulse Ammo she'd just bought him… **_'He better! I didn't know the ammo he uses is sooo heavy!'_** Thinking about her sniper friend made her homesick. With a pang she realized that she and Seifer would be missing Irv's birthday party… **_'I wonder how everyone is doing?'_** She knew they would be busy, if not with their own thing, for sure with Selphie's! Hyne! How could someone so small be such a tyrant?

The last time she spoke with her, Selph had told her cheerfully that she was in charge of organizing the various Festival of Lights celebrations, as well as New Year's Eve! **_'As if she would_allow _anyone else to be in charge!... I can't wait to see everyone! We've been so busy around here that we're not due back until close to the Festival of Lights, and then we'll only be home for a couple of weeks…'_**

She darted a glance at her new chrono, a surprising present from Seifer on the occasion of birthday. She hadn't expected him to remember her birthday, let alone get her a present…

…

_It was a rare occasion… Seifer was home at dinnertime, and not over at Kiara's. She was about to sit down, and have her usual solitary dinner at the kitchen table, when he sauntered in and tossed her a small package. Out of pure reflex her hands came out, and caught the flying object._

"_For you."_

_She just stood there in the middle of the kitchen, staring at him in utter surprise, with her mouth hanging open. She heard the impatience in his voice._

"_Open it, Trepe! It doesn't bite."_

_Obediently, as if she had no will of her own, she ripped the wrapping and lifted the small box's lid. Inside was nestled a very delicate, and feminine looking chrono-watch. Confused, she lifted uncomprehending eyes to stare into his rather enigmatic face._

"_Well, Trepe? What d'you think? Like it?"_

"_This… This is for me?"_

"_Yeah, I remembered yours got trashed at Centra. Happy birthday, Trepe." _

_She was left completely speechless and confused. Ever since her arrival he'd been acting like such a stranger and now suddenly this…_

"_Seifer… I don't know what to say…"_

"_How 'bout a 'thank you very much, Seifer'… For starters."_

"_Th-thank you! It's a lovely present…"_

_But his attention was no longer on her; his gaze had settled on a extravagant vase of freshly cut blooms sitting on the kitchen table. At his questioning gaze, Quistis smiled and said,_

"_Aren't they beautiful? They are a gift from Zone, you know we got to…"_

_She never finished what she was going to say. He had turned on his heel and left. _

…

Quistis frowned when she recalled Seifer's odd behaviour that day. **_'I wonder what got into him?'_ **She stared at her chrono again, and realized that it was quite late, **_'Wait a minute, Quistis! What's your rush? This is your day off, remember?'_** In any case, there would be no one at home to share dinner with, anyway. Seifer was still in Lunatic Pandora, **_'Even if he were home, I can probably count with my hand the times we've had dinner together…' _** And in any case, after the day of his surprise birthday present, he never returned home during dinnertime again. With that in mind, she went to one of the mall's holo-directories and searched for the nearest restaurant that served her favourite: spicy food Roshfall style…

§ § §

"_**Welcome, home!"**_  
"_**There are seven messages for Seifer from Kiara!"**_  
"_**There are no messages for Quistis!"**_

Seifer ignored the cheerful prompts, and went directly to the shower. This particular little clean up session in Lunatic Pandora had been _specially_ difficult and gruesome… He flexed tired muscles, and ignored the various abrasions and lacerations he'd sustained. It was all part of the job. Besides the compound medics had just finished patching him up. They were definitely not Dr. Kadowaki, but they were efficient enough.

He could've used Trepe's help during this round of fighting, her whip was really good at striking down those annoying little Imps before they could cast their Confusion attack. He'd objected at first when she had asked to accompany him on the shorter excursions to LP, but she had made a very valid point when she'd complained that her whip was getting rusty as there were no training facilities around here like at B-Garden. He had grudgingly agreed to have her on some of the shorter LP runs… **_'Who am I kiddin'? Littl' Miss Prim is a fucking good fighter! What she lacks in brawn, she more than makes up in skill…'_** Which was more than could be said of Stevenson!

He'd had to knock the jackass down, because he had started attacking everyone! He had no resistance whatsoever when it came to status attacks! But that had not been the worse… They'd walked into an entire row of Iron Giants embedded into the walls of the Crystal Halls which Lukka, one of the other SeeDs, had thought out-of-service. He'd barely managed to grab her in the nick of time, to save her from being decapitated by a massive sword. To save time and energy, he'd been forced to summon Tiamat, who as usual had scared the shit out of everyone…

He really missed his posse sometimes! From his last chat with Raij, both him and Fuj were being kept quite busy… But if not them, he should send for more experienced SeeD support. On the other hand, the rookies were shaping up pretty well… They had become a good team. Seifer smirked, even that jackass Stevenson –apart from today's performance– was showing signs of improvement!

He scowled, of course his hellish session in Lunatic Pandora had been nothing in comparison to the one he'd just endured with Kiara when he had told her that he would not be seeing her again. After he'd been released by the Compound medics, Kiara had been there waiting for him. No being the kind of person to postpone things, even unpleasant ones, he'd offered to take her home so he could tell her of his decision…

To say the least, she had not taken his announcement too well… She was just getting too demanding. Where the _fuck_ did she get the idea that he was ready to commit to her? Sure, he took her out from time to time, because he enjoyed her company, and sex with her was pretty good… But from _that _to a fucking commitment? Also, he didn't like ultimatums. What was it about women?...

…

"_Seifer… Aren't you coming up with me?" She gave him a very sultry look, but it was obvious his mind was miles away, "Seifer!... I asked you a question!"_

"_Uh, nah… Kiara... I think we should cool it off between us."_

"_Huh?… What?"_

"_I think we should stop seeing each other…"_

"_But… Why, Seifer? Why?"_

_He looked her in the eye, and answered simply. "You need more than I can give you."_

_She shook her head, and latched herself onto him, "Sex is good between us! Admit it!" _

_To prove her point, she drew his head down and kissed him deeply. Unwilling to let himself be distracted, he grabbed her arms, and gently untangled himself from her arms._

"_Kia… I enjoyed what we had, but I think is better for both of us to move on."_

"_Don't give me that bullshit! It's her, isn't it?" There was no hiding the jealous undertones in her voice, "Ever since she arrived you've become more and more distant with me!"_

"_Kiara… It's not about her." He hadn't even bothered pretending not to know who _'her'_ was, "It's about us. It's not working out…"_

"_You bastard! You were just using me for sex!"_

_She made to strike him, but he stopped her easily. _

"_It wasn't only about sex! I did… I _**do**_ care for you, but I can't give you what you're asking. Why can't you understand that?" _

"_Fine! Go to that bitch! See if I care!"_

_She turned her back to him, and started walking towards the entrance of her apartment complex. With regret, Seifer waited until she was safely inside before he jumped back into his vehicle… Suddenly, Kiara turned midway, and ran back to hurl herself at him. Startled, he could only stare down into her face which had buried itself in his chest._

"_Seifer…" She whispered, "I could make you happy…"_

"_I know, Kia, but you're right. I'm a selfish bastard, I would make you miserable…"_

"_Come up for one last time…"_

_He gave her a brief peck on the forehead, and said gently, "The temptation is great, but no. It would only make it worse in the end for the both of us."_

…

He hated tears, and he'd had to stand there, in the middle of the street wiping Kiara's, feeling a vague sense of regret… **_'She's better off without me…'_** He got out of his room, and went to the kitchen in search of something to drink. Apart from the soft light emanating from his room, the apartment was shrouded in darkness. Silent. It usually was. After living with her for two months, he'd come to realize that Trepe was a pretty quiet person, but for some reason the place felt empty…

When he'd come home, he'd assumed Trepe was in her room. She always was. No matter how late he'd get home, he always knew she was there, sleeping in her room… Changing direction midway, he went to her door, and knocked loudly.

"Trepe!"

No answer. Frowning, he knocked again, this time more forcefully.

"TREPE!"

Again, no answer. Suppressing an oath, he tried her door expecting resistance. But no, the door slid open easily. Her bed was neatly made. Everything was in its proper place, **_'Fuck if the room is not like the owner!'_** Except the owner was nowhere to be found. Scowling ferociously now, he went to get his comm unit and keyed in some numbers…

§

… _At **Yum! Yum!** Restaurant_

Quistis was feeling a bit disappointed with the meal she'd just had. Of course, service had been excellent, her waiter couldn't do enough for her, constantly coming back to check on her (to the point that he was starting to seriously annoy her!), but the food had been rather bland. In any case, her hunger was satisfied. She signalled her ever attentive waiter for the bill, and to ask him for the nearest airtram stop. She still had to make it back to Sector 37…

_Ring! Ring!_

Startled, she searched her purse for her comm unit, **_'Who can it possibly be at this hour?'_**

"Quistis Trepe, here"

"Trepe! Where the **_hell_** are you?"

She held the unit away from her ear, then tried desperately not to blush when she saw the look on the faces of the people seated next to her table.

"Seifer!" She hissed into the unit, "Can you pipe it down?"

"Fuck no. Where are you?"

"If you must know, I was having a _very nice_ dinner in a restaurant on **_my day off_**, before you so rudely interrupted!"

"Who's with you?"

She was sorely tempted to name someone, anyone, but instead answered, "No one, though it's really none of your bus…"

He interrupted her reply with a curt, "Stay there! I'm coming over to pick you up."

"Now, wait a minute! It's not nece…"

In typical Seifer fashion, he'd cut her off. Her comm unit was outfitted with a tracker, so of course he already knew where she was, but… Oooh! He was so irritating! **_'I wonder what's got into him?... Must've had a fight with his girlfriend!'_** She thought sourly.

§ § §

"_**Welcome to Parking Lot B, Level 56"**_  
"_**Please watch your step!"**_

The turbo lift doors slid open, and a young couple walked out of it. They seem to be in the midst of an argument. Apart from them, the lot appears to be deserted. The young man grabs one of the girl's upper arms, and propels her in the direction of his waiting vehicle, a very sleek looking propulsion bike. She tries to resist. He bends down, and whispers something in her ear. She stiffens and allows herself to be led, but not before casting her tall escort a killing glance. In his other hand he's holding two large bags.

"Hyne, Seifer! What's got into you? Why were you so rude to that poor waiter?"

"I didn't like his face."

He said that because he knew it would annoy her. He was pissed enough himself. That asshole waiter should consider himself lucky. What he'd really wanted to do was to smash his fist into that fucker's leering face. He looked down at Trepe. She was staring straight ahead, trying her best to ignore him. Except, he didn't feel like being ignored this time.

"It's all your fault, Trepe."

That got a rise out of her, as he knew it would. He stared down into her lovely face, and wondered if she knew the ferocious temptation she presented to him by being so fucking prim and proper.

"How is it _my_ fault that you behaved like a barbarian?"

"Tch, tch… Knight, you should not make the Blue Witch angry…"

A new voice entered their conversation. Suddenly Quistis and Seifer found themselves surrounded by strange shadowy figures led by a masked person.

"How many badly dressed fuckers like you are out there, pops?"

Seifer recognized the mask, but not the voice behind the mask. He assumed it was the same kind of people that had accosted them in Centra, although this was a different masked guy. Sheer reflex made him push Quistis protectively behind him, but of course she was not the kind to cower behind anyone. She surged to the front with a flourish, whisking her utility whip off her pants, where she'd been wearing it like a belt. Poised to strike, she demanded.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

Seifer shot Quistis an extremely irritated glance before he hurled with as much force as he could muster the two bags he was holding straight into the masked figure's face.

"RUN FOR IT!"

Grabbing one of her upper-arms, Seifer rushed with her through the opening he'd created, dashing straight to his waiting bike. Quistis had not been idle either, even as Seifer hurled the bags, she'd cracked her whip disabling one of the shadowy figures who were standing next to the fallen masked man.

"Fira!"

Still running, Quistis held out her free hand, and managed to cast a volley of fire spells in an attempt to slow the shadowy figures down.

"Ouch! Seifer, be careful!"

Seifer had unceremoniously dumped her on his bike, while he swiftly withdrew _Hyperion_ out of its special sheath in the bike. With his trusted weapon in hand, he looked back at Quistis, and said to her with a cocky grin.

"Stand back and watch the Master, Trepe!"

She gasped when with an evil smile Seifer split _Hyperion_ into two blades! And not a nano second too soon! The shadowy figures were moving with a dizzying speed toward them, one of them made a lunge at her which she evaded quickly enough. She cracked her whip down at two of the figures hoping to take them both down at the same time, but to her utter surprise and dismay, they jumped out of her weapon's way! Not to be deterred, she attacked them with a volley of fire spells and watched with satisfaction as they dissolved before her very eyes… Those same eyes widened again when they witnessed the figures recomposing themselves… Even as they coalesced one of them tried to slice her into two, but her training kicked in, and not a moment too soon! However, the surprise had managed to slow down her timing a tad so that one of shadow fighters managed to slip by her guard, and slash her upper arm, albeit superficially…

Recovering quickly, Quistis ignored the pain and swiftly cracked her whip at her attacker, fully expecting it to recompose again this time…

"Trepe! DUCK!"

A blade swooshed over her head cutting down another shadowy figure which had crept up behind her back. With his other blade, Seifer parried the downward swing of another sword, muscles straining with the effort, and knocked it off the attacker's grasp. With a dangerous smile, he swung the other blade in a circular motion cutting down two of the shadowy figures...

§

Another masked figure had been watching the fight with avid curiosity. After a while, it detached itself from the shadows, and left the scene.

_(Withdraw)_

_(Doma?)_

_(I have seen enough)_

_(As you wish, Doma)_

§

With a practiced flick of her wrist, Quistis whipped _Titania's Wisp_ in a circular motion. The shadowy figures disassembled at the touch of her weapon, only to reassemble again. They seemed so immaterial, almost incorporeal, yet she knew their weapons to be sharp enough. She was sweating profusely, and her right upper arm was throbbing from the gash it had sustained. She dared not look at it, but knew she was quickly losing stamina… She would**_ not _**allow herself to be defeated this way, especially in front of him! He would **_never_** let her live it down! With her back firmly pressed against Seifer's, she muttered a quick incantation.

"White wind…"

Seifer, who was wielding the split _Hyperion_ with one hand parrying attacks and the other lunging at the enemy, felt the soothing aura of the healing magic…and frowned. **_'Why?'_** He dared not deviate his gaze from the figures before him. They were damned fast, and almost indestructible… However, the masked fucker standing behind the barrier formed by the almost shadowy like fighters, appeared to be human enough… **_'That's it! The fucker is controlling them! I cut him down… end of story!'_** He calculated his move…

"Trepe! Cover me!"

"Will do!"

Seifer crossed _Hyperion_'s blades to parry another lunge from the enemy, and with all the strength he could muster he uncrossed his blades hurling one of their attackers against the wall and slashing the other apart, without stopping he made a lunge at the hooded figure…

"Firaga!"

Even as she yelled out the spell, Quistis evaded another attack; with her whip whirling in Seifer's direction, she swiftly aimed a strike at another shadowy figure, who easily got out of her whip's way. That had been her intention. Now, Seifer had a clear path to his intended target …

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

Even as _Hyperion_'s blades slashed at the leader, the figure had lost its solidity…

"Hah! Hah! Hah! Until the next encounter, Knight!"

With this parting words, the masked figured teleported itself out of sight. Once it was gone, the rest of the shadows dissolved completely.

§ § §

To be continued…


	37. Expansion

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_That is not dead which can eternal lie,  
And with strange aeons even death may die._  
–Abdul Alhazred–

Chapter 5:** Expansion**

"_**Welcome, Believers, to the Temple of Zarûthra!"  
"The God of Benevolence and Fortitude greets you!"**_  
"_**Enter and be blessed!"**_

"Are you sure, Petra, that _this_ is the place?"

"You are such a wuss! Would I have instructed Decker to bring us _here_ had I not been sure?"

"Well, he didn't _want_ to drive us _here_, remember? It was only when you threatened to fire him that he finally agreed!"

The 'here' was said with absolute disdain and abhorrence. One of the girls seated inside the luxurious chauffeur-driven vehicle, looked dubiously out the rolled up window. They were parked in front of a rather gaudy building that boasted a set of very imposing double doors ornamented with very strange symbols. They seemed to glow eerily, even on broad daylight. The vehicle looked completely out of place in the run down neighbourhood, one of many so characteristic of Sectors 102 to 109. Located on the northernmost part of the City, they conform the forgotten tentacle of the Estharian spider like city-grid.

During Adel's reign, this particular section of Esthar City had somehow managed to keep its dilapidated physiognomy. It remains a mystery why Adel, an infamous aesthete, ignored the ugly decay of this ramshackle area. Even the staunchest apologists of Adel's era have acknowledged –albeit grudgingly– that the sorceress would think nothing of razing to the ground, with the people living there included, any sector she considered to be 'ugly' or 'poor' looking; hence, Esthar's overly sanitized appearance.

However, everyone is in tacit agreement that Sector107 is the largest, and by far, the worst of the lot. After it, and separate from Sector107 by a barrier, 108 and 109 are just a pile of waste and rubble. In fact, Sector109 almost touches the southern part of the Salts Flats Lake. According to urban legend, the last two are a monster breeding ground. No one seen entering is ever seen leaving…

Poverty, indigence, destitution are the three words that best characterize Sector 107, more commonly known as S-107. There are malicious rumours circulating around that this sector was spared from annihilation due to Dr. Odine's efforts in that respect. Why he should go through all the trouble of protecting an area inhabited by a group of people he himself has dubbed as 'ze failures', is anyone's guess. It's totally unreachable by public transport. The only feasible access to it, is through a very old skyway that traverses the length of Sectors 102 to 105, or the wasteland they have become, that is.

The Abadon Skyway, as the road to S-107 has been dubbed, is in such a state of disrepair that it has been known to cause aircars to malfunction, therefore stranding hapless passengers in the middle of some very unsavoury territory. It takes major effort to get there. It takes major effort to leave. No sane person is willing to trudge into this territory voluntarily. For the most part, most Estharians are happy to either forget or ignore the existence of Sector107.

Presently, Sorceress Adel has finally been put to rest. It will soon be twenty years since the institution of President Loire's mandate. Nevertheless, this forgotten zone of Esthar's spider-like map remains unchanged. Despite the efforts on the part of the present government to implement various social programs designed –in theory– to help people in the sector improve their lives. Gradual changes can be glimpsed in Sector106. Raine's Place, a community centre, just opened its doors last year. It's rumoured that Ellone Loire, the President's daughter herself, chairs the committee that oversees the centre.

Nevertheless, irrespective of the improvements in Sector106, as one gets closer to S-107 the landscape changes and becomes worsened. It's almost like it's resistant to change, even if it means an improvement in living conditions. Ever since the 'opening' of Esthar, experts from various parts of the world in the areas of urban planning and community development have been brought in for consultation. None of them, either as individuals or as a collective have come up with a viable solution.

In truth, ever since Time Compression, the problems in that area of Esthar have worsened. S-107 has become the epicentre of a very lucrative drug trade which started in Centra, but has been moved –again, reasons unexplained– to this particular area in the world. As a result, Sector107 has become the worst of the worst to be found anywhere in the world. It offers a stark contrast to the rest of Esthar City which is clean, beautiful and orderly. Most of the time, S-107 is only conveniently remembered by Laguna Loire's enemies come election time. It would be most interesting to see _how_ President Loire's enemies would deal with the problem… If they ever were to win.

It is said that only the extremely poor and destitute live in S-107, for they have no choice. And that the very rich and powerful visit there, for it's the only place in Esthar that has an unending supply of BLISS, and its cheaper more lethal counterpart, BLAST. But Petra and her friend are no drug addicts. They have 'travelled' all the way to this area, because they've been lured by the Temple of Zarûthra. Suddenly, although the Temple predates even the crashing of Lunatic Pandora into the Centra continent, it has become a very hip and trendy location for young and rich Estharians to see and be seen…

"Look!" One of the girls grabbed the arm of the other. "Isn't that Isil-Dhu, the lead singer of the Heideggerians? Wow! I just bought 'Alter States' their latest holodisk!"

"He looks more amazing in person!"

"Oh My Hyne!… That guy just leaving… He-he's Kain Baron! He's so hot!"

"Isn't he one of the leads in that new show 'Superheroes'?

"Okay! What _are_ we waiting for? Let's go inside!"

"Who was having doubts?"

"Oh, shush, Petra!"

§ § §

"_**Arriving at sublevel 128, Crystal Hall 08J"**_  
"_**Please be careful with your step…"**_

Pete Tarkin lifted his eyes, curious to see who the new arrivals would be. According to his own calibrations, they should be getting closer to the core. The monsters had also become increasingly more powerful. The engineering teams were given even more protection now than before. **_'…Well, well, well… If it isn't the lovely Quistis… Heh! Almasy must be close-by…'_** Sure enough, Seifer stepped out of the lift following 'Instructor Trepe', as she was called by everyone. **_'Except for Kia who calls her MSB, short for Man-Stealing-Bitch…'_** He shook his head in unconscious disapproval. To be fair, he didn't think the Instructor deserved such an appellative. **_'Ah, shit! Kia has noticed them!'_**

Pete watched Kia plaster a false smile on her face as she greeted the Instructor, while she gave Seifer a very 'friendly' kiss on the lips. They exchanged some pleasantries before Kiara left them so they could speak with Dr. Preston. Pete sighed. It was just as well that Kia had her back on them as she came towards where he was standing, or the scowl she sported now on her face would get worse… Almasy was standing protectively close to the Instructor, or he was no judge of body language…!

"I don't see what's so special about her!" Kiara hissed once she came within his hearing, "She's just some blonde with an okay complexion."

Pete decided that it was wiser not to say anything. Kia had called him crying the night Seifer had broken up with her, and had kept him on the comm for hours! He hadn't had the heart to tell her at the time, a much needed, **_'I told you so.'_** He didn't have the heart _now_ to correct her either. It would not go down well if he were to tell Kia that quite a few people, himself included, thought Quistis Trepe real hot-looking, _especially_ when she was clad in her Gesperthane bodysuit! However, everyone knew that the lovely Instructor was also extremely off-limits, unless one disregarded personal safety… Instead, he said very carefully.

"I thought you said you were over him."

Of course, he hadn't believed that, not even for a nanosecond! After all, the relationship had only ended a few weeks ago. It was not enough time, no matter what Kia said.

"I am! But it doesn't make me blind!" And in the same peevish mood, Kiara continued, "Look at her! …She's just an insipid blonde!"

"Kia… It's not her fault. You shouldn't take it out on her."

"Oh! And now you take her side!"

"Kia, I'm not taking **_any_** sides. If anything, you should blame Almasy. Didn't you tell me he kept leading you on?"

Suddenly, to his surprise, Kiara blushed and said, "I don't wanna talk about it!"

§

Quistis was only half listening as Seifer conferred with Dr. Preston –again– over the security measures they've implemented to ensure the safety of the non-fighting personnel. As they got closer to Lunatic Pandora's core, the monsters prowling the new areas were stronger, faster, meaner. She tried not to grimace at the doctor's blatant come-on look in Seifer's direction, before throwing a surreptitious glance Kiara's way. When Kiara 'greeted' Seifer, she'd deviated her gaze from them. For reasons she refused to acknowledge, she didn't want to watch as Seifer's ex-girlfriend blatantly fused her lips with his …**_'I didn't think she would be working on this run…'_ **She'd only found out recently that Seifer and the beautiful engineer were no longer together…

…

_She was seated at one of the many tables in the compound's cafeteria sharing her lunch with Lukka, a member of the LP SeeD team, and some of the engineering staff. Natasha, one of the technicians suddenly turned to Lukka to ask her a very pointed question._

"_Hey, Luk! You're in Seifer's team! What's the story?"_

"_Huh? Whadd'ya mean?" Lukka was truly perplexed. _

"_Luk! We thought that you knew everything 'bout that hot leader of yours!"_

_Their attention shifted to Quistis._

"_Hey, Instructor Trepe! Give us the insider's scoop! What happened to make that hot roomie of yours break-up with sex-goddess Kiara?"_

"_She's circulating the rumour that she's the one who broke it off, but c'mon…! Like we're really gonna believe that!_

"_Yeah! We kinda find it hard to believe… Look at him!"_

_In spite of herself and her extreme annoyance at his latest high handed action, Quistis turned her head with the rest to look at Seifer. He was talking with someone while waiting in line to get their meal, after he'd 'ordered' her to 'save' him a place. She was glad for the momentary distraction, even if it was by him. She wasn't sure if she'd managed to hide her surprise at such unexpected news. **'Oh, well! This **_**would_ explain why she's been calling him at home so often…" _**_ She stared ruefully at the two girls seated in front of her, and tried very hard not to be cynical about the whole thing,** "It also explains why** **I've become suddenly so popular…' **_

"_As if anyone would willingly break off with **him**…"_

"_So, Instructor Trepe… Are you gonna have a go at it?"_

_Lukka's seemingly innocent question threw her off, but this time she was prepared and managed to mask her reaction. Being an instructor did have its perks. Forcing herself to smile, Quistis replied, "He and I don't have that sort of relationship…"_

"_What kinda relationship, Instructor?... And who with?"_

_Seifer had appeared out of nowhere, and plunked a tray filled to the brim in front of her._

"_Seifer! I can't eat all this!"_

"_Meh! Just eat what you can, and I'll finish the rest…" Sea green eyes travelled down her figure, "But… I'll say you need to pack in some extra weight, Instructor."_

_Glad that she'd managed to evade answering his question, and annoyed that he _knew_ by the glint in his eyes, she shoved a fork of food inside her mouth to stop herself from making a retort she knew she would regret later…_

"_So Seifer, what are your plans for the weekend?"_

_Quistis took a look at the girl's eager face as she asked the question, thinking to herself, **'She certainly doesn't believe in wasting time…'**_

…

It so happened that Natasha was wasting her time, because Seifer declined her invitation to go out. But his break-up with Kiara had truly caught her by surprise… **_'I thought he was staying away from her as a precaution… To protect her… But those attackers have not returned…'_** Quistis shuddered every time she recalled their close shave with the shadow fighters, as she'd come to name them. It wasn't the case that she'd never battled undead creatures before… That huge Abadon monster they'd fought at the entrance of the then hidden City of Esthar, had been pretty bad! Or more recently, the skirmish against a small army of Forbidden during the Centra mission. But nothing in her previous experience, absolutely nothing, would've prepared her for the deep sensation of dread these strange undead fighters awoke in her!

Also, the way that masked leader kept on addressing Seifer as 'knight' bothered her the most! Judging from his reaction in the parking lot, and following Irvine's account of their escape in Centra, Seifer had fought a similar enemy. She'd asked him about that in the aftermath of the fight…

…

_  
"What the fuck!"_

"_Hah! Hah! Hah! Until the next encounter, Knight!"_

_After those parting words, the strangely masked figured vanished into the thin air along with the rest of their attackers! She could've sworn she'd seen the symbols tattooed on their hands somewhere before, but her curiosity was more focused on how the leader had addressed Seifer. That was the third time! _

"_Seifer…Why did he call you 'knight'?" _

_He clamped_ Hyperion_ back into one, and strolled to that monstrous looking vehicle he called 'bike'. Frustrated by his lack of response, she followed him and prompted him again._

"_Well?"_

_Seifer re-sheathed his gunblade before answering, "What's the big deal, Trepe? It's not exactly a secret I was a sorceress's knight. Those trials were broadcast worldwide, remember?"_

_There was a slight tinge of bitterness in his tone, but she ignored it. She wouldn't have believed this of him, but… was he avoiding giving her a direct answer?_

"_The masked leader… You recogni…?"_

_He interrupted her to say abruptly, "At Centra."_

"_And…?"_

_She said that a little testily…but really, of all the times to imitate Squall! _

"_The mask is the same, but I'm pretty sure this is a different fucker."_

"_Could you tell?"_

"_Different voice."_

"_Did the first one address you the same way?" She'd wanted to add **'Just like Sasha Tavares did'**, but refrained from doing so._

_He wasn't going to answer her! Glaring at the rigid cast of his broad back, she decided on another tackle._

"_You know, I got Irvine's account of the escape, but I haven't heard your take on… …Seifer! You're not listening!"_

_Completely ignoring her, Seifer mounted the bike and tossed her a helmet, which she caught out of pure reflex. She noticed that he'd even strapped her poor dilapidated shopping bags to it as well! _

"_Get on, Trepe!"_

_He fired up the bike's powerful motor, before looking at her, more specifically at the ripped shirtsleeve where she'd been slashed by one of the shadow fighters. Her curative spell had stemmed the flow of blood, but it was still soaked. And she _**was**_ feeling a bit light-headed… Not that she would ever admit it to him!_

"_Don't make me do it for you. You wouldn't like it."_

_She scowled, remembering a similar confrontation. With an incredible lack of grace, she did as instructed. And not a moment too soon. Her legs felt a bit wobbly…_

"_Seifer…Why can't you give me a straight answer?"_

"_Put the fucking helmet on, Instructor."_

_Silently, she complied. For some reason, now that the flow of adrenaline had receded, the light wound she'd sustained drained her of energy… It was so weird. She did feel a tad weak… She wrapped her arms around his waist, and sighing rested her suddenly heavy head on his back. She closed her eyes. The world seemed to be spinning around, and around…_

"_Dammit! Hang-on!"_

…

…

_When she came into being, she found to her utter surprise that she was lying on bed. But not her bed. Not her room… She got up with a sudden move that left her feeling slightly dizzy. _

"_Seifer!"_

"_Quisty, please! You have to take it easy…"_

"_Sis?"_

_She allowed herself to be pulled back onto the pillows, and gazed into Ellone's kind brown eyes, full of unasked questions. Sis fluffed up her pillows before answering._

"_You're in the hospital. Seifer brought you."_

_Quistis's eyes went involuntarily around the pristine hospital room… There was a huge vase of flowers resting on a table by the window. Bright sunlight streamed into the room. _

"_He's outside with Johan. Want me to get him?"_

"_N-no! I mean… It's not necessary."_

"_Don't worry, Seify already got in touch with the Headmaster and with Squall. He also notified Uncle Laguna of the situation…"_

"_Hmn…"_

"_Imagine getting a call in the middle of the night! Not only from Matron, but from Uncle Laguna as well! We rushed over here!"_

_Quistis realized that Sis was only wearing a very light coat over what looked like... a pink nightie?She felt immediately contrite!  
_

"_Sis! I'm so sorry for causing so much trou…"_

_Ellone interrupted her. "Oh, nonsense! We're just glad that you're alright!" _

_Blinking, Quistis looked around again. This time searching for her clothes. When her eyes landed on a pair of rather decrepit looking bags, she had the grace to blush…_

"_Sis, I'm so sorry about your…"_

_It seemed that Ellone had followed the path of Quistis's gaze because she said good-humouredly._

"_Will you stop apologizing already? My dress was absolutely intact!"_

_Quistis smiled for the first time, at least that was something. She was feeling like such a wimp! _

"_I'm so glad!… You have no idea how they got that way…!"_

"_I know. Seifer told us! He used the bags like a weapon! I'll have to remember that one, next time Johan complains that I like shopping too much!"_

_The door swung open and two tall figures strolled inside._

"_I see you're awake, Trepe."_

"_Hi, Quisty. How're you feeling?"_

_Johan Piet's usually serious face was completely transformed by his charming smile._

"_I'm feeling fine, thank you… When do you think I'll be discharged?"_

_She'd directed her question at Seifer who was eyeing her closely, but it was Ellone who replied._

"_Soon! I've brought you some of my clothes…"_

…

She sighed silently at the memory… That was the second time in a row she ended up in a hospital bed from sustaining an extremely minor wound! What was it about those masked figures? Every confrontation with them seemed to have such a draining effect on her…

"Let's go, Instructor."

The way Seifer said 'instructor' always had a grating effect on her nerves! He knew it too, that's why he did it! Quistis nodded briefly at Dr. Preston, and made to follow Seifer to the lift. Once the doors slid shut, Seifer keyed in the sequence that would take them back to where their shuttle was parked in Lunatic Pandora's docking bay. After three gruelling days spent inside the huge complex, she was more than ready to go home!

'**_I don't understand why he had to drag me here. I really should be with the E-Garden team… It's true that the monsters around here have become increasingly more difficult… But surely one of us, is more than enough to deal with the situation… So, why are we –both– here? Is this really necessary?' _**Not that she really minded… She suppressed the desire to snort at herself. **_'I'm being contradictory!'_** Ever since she spotted Sasha Tavares at the airtram stop, her sense of unease had grown steadily. She darted a fleeting look at Seifer's impatient figure, and gulped. He was looking straight at her in that smirky way of his! She absolutely refused to analyse her feelings for this… this arrogant jerk!

"So, Instructor… I'm amazed you haven't asked for leave to visit Timber."

Quistis could only stare at him, **_'Where the hell did that come from?'_**, but chose to ignore it by replying with a question.

"Seifer, why am I here? You know very well that poor Stevenson has absolutely no protection against a Malboro's bad breath attack… "

She asked this question in a neutral tone, without any heat. No matter what, she was worried, and was actually glad for any excuse that would allow her to keep an eye on him. But acting as his aide, Quistis felt it incumbent to her position to remind him of the poor choice he made by sending someone less experienced to lead the E-Garden team.

At the clipped tones in her oh-so-proper voice, Seifer ruthlessly suppressed a strong desire to do something…provoking. Sea-green eyes ran slowly over her body, every curve lovingly revealed by the charcoal grey Gesperthane suit she was wearing, courtesy of that interfering ass, Laguna Loire. He knew the garment provided her with greater protection than any other fighting gear, but… He wished they'd designed it to be less clingy! It was fucking distracting! It also pissed him majorly to think that others might be distracted by it too!

"You're needed here, Trepe. And besides, it'll be a good experience for that jackass… He wanted to be team leader. I gave him the opportunity to be one."

Azure eyes stared at his stubborn profile incredulously, "So you sent him to fight Malboros? Don't you think that I would be more suitable for the job?"

"All in due time, Instructor. All in due time."

The construction of E-Garden had yet to begin, because the site's perimeter was not deemed safe enough from the usual crop of lunar cry monsters. In Quistis's estimate, her presence in Lunatic Pandora, from an administrative point of view, was a sheer waste of resources. But for purely personal reasons, she didn't insist too much on it… She was just feeling a bit sorry for poor Darryl Stevenson.

Not that Stevenson was a bad fighter or anything… Indeed, Darryl had more than redeemed himself these past few months, but still, he had _very_ limited experience fighting Malboros and the like. Also, he didn't have the protection of a GF as she did, since Shiva would not _allow_ Stevenson to draw her out! What she found even more incredible, was the fact that the finicky GF had no trouble going to Seifer! She'd asked him to do it, as a sort of test… Then she tried to draw Tiamat from him, but she was not even able to sense that particular GF at all! It was as if Tiamat was… ignoring her? Could that be possible? The whole experience had left her feeling extremely baffled! She would have to ask Dr. Odine about it, if she ever could find the time.

In the past, it was not easy to pass GFs around from person to person, but even if affinity was as low as zero, _it could still be done_… However, since Time Compression all GFs were behaving in incredibly unexpected and erratic ways! On a more positive front, she had suffered no more memory loss… **_'Apart from the rare entry, I've stopped writing my journal… I know I cannot recover what I've already lost…but at least… at least I can look forward!' _**For example, she _knew _Hephaestus had taken up residence somewhere in her psyche, but he was so unobtrusive as to be almost imperceptible. Except for the extremely rare occasion in which she could sense his faint presence. As if he was waiting… waiting… Waiting for what?

So unlike Shiva! Not only could she sense her, but she had also developed quite a distinct personality! It was so hard to explain. For some reason, her affinity with this particular GF had grown to the point that to junction her was almost done as an automatic reflex, something completely seamless… For all that, it freaked her out sometimes how she could sense Shiva's predilection for Seifer! **_'Wait…wait a minute! Shiva, are you laughing at me?'_**

"What's the matter, Trepe? All of a sudden you look like you swallowed somethin' real acid?"

"_**Arriving at level 0, Crystal Hall A"**_  
"_**SeeD Leader Almasy, SeeD Trepe"  
"Your shuttle, Aegis1, is waiting on Docking Bay 8"**_

Seifer smirked when he saw her exit the elevator with alacrity. His question unanswered. He followed her closely behind. He was actually surprised that she'd not insisted on swapping places with Stevenson! But left it at that. She wasn't going anywhere without him. Not to fucking Timber, not to E-Garden's site! The events in that parking lot a few weeks ago were still etched freshly in his mind. That was the second time those fuckers had referred to Quistis as 'blue witch'. They've also called him 'knight', but_ that_ little fact was pretty well known.

He'd be willing to bet his entire yearly SeeD stipend on the fact that only a very, very select few, knew that Quistis was a blue magic user. If nothing else, being a Sorceress Knight had taught him that her branch of magic was quite unique in today's world, because blue mages have been extinct for a long time. Although from what he knew, blue mages were supposed to be able to summon those powers at will, but Quistis's only came during her limit break, when she was under extreme duress…

He watched as she made her way to their sleek little shuttle, the _Aegis1_. It bothered him a great deal that at Centra, that first masked fucker had called Quistis 'blue witch' _before _she ever got to cast Mighty Guard. There was something very funny going on! And that night, when they were attacked at the mall's parking lot, he'd felt like they were under observation… Quistis pressed her palm against a sensor plate, and enter her code on the touch pad. The hatched door glided open. Sea green eyes watched until she disappeared inside. **_'Until I get to the bottom of this, my dear Instructor… I'm gonna be sticking real close…'_** Somehow this decision put him into a better mindset!

Busy as she performed her pre-flight prep work as co-pilot, Quistis felt more than saw, Seifer sit next to her in the narrow confines of the aircraft. It never ceased to amaze her at how quickly he'd learnt to fly this thing.

"So… You wanna attend Nida's wedding?"

She was caught completely off guard by his question! That invitation had been sitting in their inbox for over a week now… She stared at his handsome profile, and tried not to blink. He knew she was very disappointed at having missed Irvine's birthday! Being inside Lunatic Pandora she hadn't been able to reach their sniper friend to even wish him a simple 'Happy Birthday'. Sometimes Seifer would completely disarmed her with these sudden bouts of niceness from his part…

"Uh, I… Of course I want to be there! But…can we get the time off?"

She completed her own tasks. She watched him key in their flight sequence back to Esthar Airstation.

"We can if we fly in and out the same day."

"We can do that?"

He turned to her, and flashed her cocky smile.

"Watch this, Trepe!"

The shuttle lifted and in a burst of forward thrusters, shot out of Lunatic Pandora…

"Eeek!... Seifer! Why are you so reckless?"

"I'll take that to mean yes…"

§ § §

_Blip!  
Begin sequence…_

The body is but a vessel for the soul

_Humans are such fragile creatures…_

_(Bring the chalice for the initiate)_

A puppet which bends to the soul's tyranny

_(All is ready, Doma)_

_Humans are easy to seduce, and very easy to corrupt… _

_(Proceed)_

_(As you wish, Great One)_

And lo, the body is not eternal

_Their lifespan is but a mere breath. A mere blink. Perhaps because of it, they are eager to betray one another…_

"Surge"

"Agh…"

_Their life-force is so easily snuffed… _

For it must feed on the flesh of others

"Aaagh…"

"Desiste"

_(It is done, Doma)_

_(Let the Chalice have its way…)_

Lest it return to the dust whence it came

_Humans… Why do they exist? _

_(It shall be as you say, Doma)_

_That one such as I… To be confined in a prison of the ages… It cannot have been the work of mere mortals. No. This must be the work of other gods. They, too, shall pay for this outrage…_

_(It is done)_

_(Very well)_

_(Doma… Why did we let the Blue Witch and her Knight go?)_

_(Are you questioning my orders?)_

_(No!... Of course not, Great One!)_

_(They are not needed... Not yet)_

_(Doma. Please forgive my temerity!)_

_Gods no longer mingle with mortals. They have become oblivious to each other's existence… This will be to my advantage._

_(Doma. Could it be that this Ultimecia creature has done us a great favour?)_

_(She was merely another tool. Just like you and I)_

Therefore must the soul  
Deceive, despise, and murder men

_I have waited for almost an eternity to escape my prison. Soon, I will be free. Soon I will reclaim what belongs to me._

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

Some of you might recognize the last set of verses as the beginning of **_Vagrant's Story_**, one of the most interesting RPGs out there in terms of story development!

I would like to thank all my readers for their patience! I hope that I have made it worth your wait!


	38. Liberi Hortum

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_When the child was a child,  
It didn't know that it was a child,  
Everything was soulful,  
And all souls were one._  
–Peter Handke–

Chapter 6:** Liberi Hortum **

"_Matwyn! Matwyn!"_

"_We wanna hear a stowry!"_

"_Stowry! Yaay!"_

"_I wanna hear the stowry 'bout the dragon-n'-the-lady–n'–the–knight!"_

"_No! The stowry of the ginger-bwread-houthe!"_

"_Children! Children! Alright, if you want to hear a story everybody must be in bed…"_

"_Matwyn! I wanna sleep with Sis too!"_

"_Nooo!"_

"_Squall,** –Whisper–** It's okay, we'll make cookies together tomorrow** –Whisper–** Go to your bed… Come Sefy!"_

" –_Sniff– …"_

"_Yaay!"_

"_No fair! Me too!"_

"_Me too!"_

"_No! Me!"_

"_EVERYONE should be in bed by the time I count to ten… … One…"_

"_Eeek! Hurry!"_

"_I tol' yooo!"_

"…_Two…"_

"_SHUT-UP! CRY-BABY!"_

"…_Seifer! Zell! _** –**Sigh** –**_ …Three…"_

"_Don't tease him! He's little!"_

"_Yoooo! Quisty! I'm not!"_

"… _FOUR…"_

"_MATWYN! Seify's makin' faces at me!"_

"_Zell-Tattle-Tale!"_

"… _FIVE… SIX…" _

"_EEeek! C'mon! Hurry up!"_

"_I'm already in bed, Sefy!"_

"… … _Seven… Irvine, under the covers, please… …"_

"_Eeek! Hurry, Irvy! Hurry!"_

"… _Eight… … Seifer!… Irvine! No peeking!"_

"_Awww!… But Matwyn!"_

"… _NINE… … Squall, don't place the covers over your head, dear, you'll suffocate… …Ten! Good! Now close your eyes, and I will begin the story…" _

"_We're all sleeping now, Matwyn!" _

"_Thank you, Quistis… Alright, my darlings!… … … Once upon a time, in a very faraway country, there was a garden that had no flowers, only grass and one small fruit tree. People did not want to visit such a tiny garden with no flowers. The garden did not understand why people would not want to sit under the cool shade of it tree, or eat the sweet ripe fruit that fell to the ground, or lay on its green grass to gaze at the blue sky. It made the garden feel sad and lonely…"_

"_Matwyn… I'd go…"_

"_Yaay! Me too!"_

"_Me!"_

"–_SHSSSS– SHUUUUSSH! You guys! I wanna hear the stowry!"_

"… … '_I wish I could even have one flower!' The garden said sighing to itself, 'This way people from all over would come visit to see the flower!… Then they would also notice the beauty of the fruit tree, taste the sweetness of its fruit, and enjoy the greenness of my grass…' The East Wind heard the garden's wish, and decided to ask all the tiny flowers seeds it carried for one to volunteer to land in that garden. But they said no…"_

"–_Sniff– Sniff–"_

"–_**Whisper**– It's okay Sefy… –**Whisper**–I'm sure Matron won't allow anything bad…"_

"… _The North Wind heard the same wish, and felt pity for the small garden. It also asked the flower seeds it carried in its airstream, the same question, but it got the same reply, 'No'. And so did the West Wind. And so did the South Wind. Every seed they asked, said 'No', until one very tiny flower seed out of all seeds asked, volunteered to go. It said, 'It pains me to leave my siblings, but for the sake of the lonely garden I will go…' Ah! There was such joy in that tiny garden when the flower seed landed!"_

"_Matwyn, can we go there? Pleathe?"_

"_Maybe someday, Selphie… The fruit tree extended its branches to shelter the small flower seed from the strong rays of the sun, the grass made a space for it to root. Everyone was very happy. For this one unselfish act of kindness, the little seed grew, and grew. Soon it became a beautiful flower. The only flower in the little garden. But it was more beautiful and more fragrant than any other flower…"_

"_Awww! Flowers are for girls, Matwyn!"_

"_Shut-up, Seify! I thaw you pickin' some yethterday!"_

"_Did not!"_

"_Did too!"_

" –Sigh_– Flowers are for _**everyone**_ my darlings …As I was saying, this one singular flower was so beautiful that people came to visit the garden from everywhere…"_

"_Matwyn! Matwyn!"_

"_Yes, Irvine?"_

"_May I go to the bathroom?"_

"_I'll take him Matron."_

"_Thank you, Ellone…"_

"_Matwyn…"_

"_Hmm, Quistis?"_

"_I'd like to be in that Garden too… D'you…d'you think I'd be allowed to touch the pretty flower?"_

"_What kind of sissy question is that? You're such a_** girl**_"_

"_I _**am**_ a_** girl**_! –_Giggle_– Silly!"_

"_Quistis, Seifer… Such language!"_

"_Sorry, Matwyn! … … … Psst! Seify! Is your turn!"_

"_For what?"_

"_To say you're sorry!"_

"_Why?"_

"'_Cause you're supposed to!"_

"_But I'm not sorry!"_

" …_Oh, Ellone and Irvine are back! So I'll continue with the story… To the people's surprise they found out indeed, that the fruit from the one fruit tree was sweeter and juicier than any other fruit they had ever tasted, and that the grass in that garden was so green even the blue sky was envious of its greenness…_

§ § §

To be continued…


	39. Sand

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_He who seeks does not find,  
but he who does not seek will be found._  
– Kafka –

Chapter 7:** Sand**

…

…

"… _A terrible battle ensued! Those who sought to break the Seal of Aleph wanted Lady Dohletia and Lord Ishtarius at all costs! Surely they cannot have a clear understanding of **What it is** exactly they are trying to release, for if they did... I truly believe that other would be their desire. To blindly awaken these terrible beings from their deep slumber, and yet they are only mere servants… Alas! I thought such dark forbidden knowledge was destroyed, but instead it was merely hidden. _

_Even the wise are not immune to foolishness when the matter at hand concerns the destruction of that which they most value. The Order of Zarûthra failed in their endeavour. Had they done the task that was entrusted to them properly, Lord Odin's incredible sacrifice would be unnecessary, but now the completion of the ritual is the only hope we have of strengthening the Aleph. Once the Seal is tightened, these terrible beings will become dormant again…"_

…

…

After Selph dropped us on the north side of the Talle Mountain Range, we mounted our Chocobos and rode to the Kashkabald Desert. Whoa! This place is massive big! It kinda took me by surprise how huge the place is! Definitely, flying over the desert in the Ragnarok is **not **the same as us being down here mounted on a Chocobo, an' being cooked alive in this friggin' heat! All we get to see for miles and miles with no end is sand, sand and then… more sand!

Talk 'bout lookin' for the impossible! How the Headmaster thinks we'll be able to find some weird soundin' GF in this humongous pile of dust is beyond me! Man! How the hell d'you start the search aroun' here? I don't even know what it looks like! I keep on playin' that little track Squall gave me over an' over again an' it just makes no friggin' sense!

"…_**Seek ye the Guardian Force Djinn.  
Seek ye Ormus Descendants.  
They who dwell in the city  
that hath never known light,  
beneath the Sea of Gold…"**_

Yeah…so I get the 'Sea-of-Gold' part… Like we're standing here in the middle of the friggin' 'Sea', staring at all this 'gold' stuff! But does it tell you where you're supposed to be heading?… C'mon, like a 'head North, dudes' or 'walk towards the palm tree' or somethin'! Anything! Even _after_ I read over all the notes Quisty left behind, I'm still not sure how we're gonna go 'bout this! An' city… What friggin' city?

We were supposed to have left a couple of days earlier, but the Headmaster postponed it so we could all attend Nida's wedding. Man! That was some serious awesome partying! Heh-heh! Quisty showed up with Mr. Ego himself… No surprises there! Told that asshole when I flew him over to Esthar, I'd kick his ass if he ever made her cry! Man! He made it sooo obvious at the graduation party! He hasn't changed at all! Wouldn't allow any outsider to dance with Quisty at the wedding! The Trepies were fuming 'cuz Seif wouldn't even let them near her! Too bad for 'em… Quisty looked hot! Meh! She always does anyway…

Heck! I'm so glad Quisty's okay! From what Seif told us, they were waitin' for her... Had he not shown up to pick 'er up, maybe... Aw, shit! I don't wanna think 'bout it cuz it really messes me up! Quisty's real important to me, to all of us in the orphanage gang! I gotta admit I was glad Seif was with her that night! Asshole or not, he's one mean sonofabitch fighter! Heh! _She_ thinks she's indestructible! We all did... Until we saw her lying there on that infirmary bed... Man! That sucked big time! She looked so helpless! I never realized how fragile she truly is! I've always looked up to her. I guess I'm kinda glad she'd got that arrogant asshole to watch over her...

I can't believe Ma has taken such a shine to him! Heh! It's alright… If Ma _and_ Matron like him so much, he's gotta be an okay guy… 'Sides, the pounding we gave each other that first time we met in_ MY friggin' room_ kinda cleared it outta our system! It was real bad! Ma had to douse us with pail of cold water before we destroyed MY room! …I gotta give it to that asshole! His fists are friggin' made of Adamantine! Damn! He whacked me real good! 'Course, I did my own damage! Heh! He was definitely no chick magnet for _at least_ a whole week! What **do **they see in him anyway? …I still can't believe Ma let him stay in MY ROOM!…

"Zell!"

"Huh? S'up, Su?"

"I'm not sure… but I think that whirlwind over there…"

Su's looking okay. Not too bad for someone who spends most of her time in the library… She seems to be holding up pretty good! But…why did she volunteer to come? …I was kinda embarrassed when she told me she liked me at the graduation party. I was sort of flattered too, but she's not really my type or anything… I mean, she's cute an' all… Ah, shit! It's too complicated! I hope she didn't come with the idea that she and I…

"Zell! Man! That's a huge sandstorm!"

"Yo! Ren! Calm down, 'kay? I know all 'bout these suckers!"

I dunno 'bout Ren… For a guy who used to go under the tough name of 'Club' an' calling himself a 'CC Knight'… –**_Humph_**– He sure looks like he's gonna pass out any time now! What a misnomer! He hangs aroun' the cafeteria most of the time… Heey! Mebbe he's the dumbass responsible for eatin' all the friggin' hot-dogs! Now that I look at him, he sorta looks like he should be spendin' more time in the gym…

"Er… Squad Leader! Our Chocobos are gettin' kinda restless…"

"Shouldn't we look for some sorta shelter?"

" –**_Sigh_**– Oh, hell! Everyone FRIGGIN' CALM DOWN! We're heading North. That storm's blowin' to the West! 'Sides, it only _looks_ close but it's way off!"

I'm so glad I took the time to read stuff 'bout the Kashkabald Desert! The way these people whine… Hell, are we SeeD or what? Heh! If that asshole were here he would be whipping their asses! Me? I'm way too nice! …

…

…

"…_I'm afraid I was exhausted by the ordeal. It took almost all of my power to undermine the will of the Master Caster who had awakened the 'Army of Bloodless Warriors'… We have only been able to make it this far by suffering great losses. Only in the Great Beyond which awaits us all, shall I be meeting my sons Armitage and Zemus again, but I do not have the luxury to mourn them now. Soon I will be losing my beloved daughter Onna as well, the eldest and wisest of all my children. She's the only one I can entrust to deliver Lady Dohletia to her destination in the North. I shall deliver Lord Ishtarius personally._

_I am so very proud of these young children! To suffer such a great loss as they have at such a young age, and still be so very valiant! The lineage of Odin and Xioma is a very strong one! I know that as they grow, these children will only become stronger and more stalwart. They don't know it yet, but more sacrifice will be demanded of them… I haven't told them that they are to be separated…"_

…

…

We've been at it for days now! Travelling aroun' this friggin' place. It's boiling hot during the day, but once the sun sets… It becomes a damned iceberg! Man! What I wouldn't do for some delicious hot-dogs right now! I'm tired of eatin' SeeD Standard Rations… Yech! Also had to fight a bunch of Cactuars. They're such a nuisance! An' fucking quick! Heh! If you try to hit 'em but miss, those suckers shower you with their 1000 needles attack! Man! Does it ever hurt! Poor Ren, he's like the slowest one here, an' got hit a couple of times … Heh-heh! I shouldn't laugh, but dammit you 'Don't-Turn-Your-Back to those things! Aw! His butt must've really hurt… An' yeah…Su was not very happy with me for laughing my ass off! No pun intended… But hey! I wasn't the only one…

"Squad Leader! I scanned the horizon with the zoomscope an' nothin'! Everywhere I checked looks the same as the last place I checked!"

"Zell… Can I have a look with those?"

"Err…Sure Su! Hey, Kessler! Giv'em over to Su here!… She might spot somethin' you missed…"

I should've done that before. Su's now head of the library committee. She'd be more into looking at small details… –**_Sigh_**– I just wish she'd stayed home. For starters, she'd be safer! But after she volunteered, the Headmaster insisted she come with us. Squall as usual, when I looked at him to say somethin' just shrugged his shoulders an' said, '_Whatever. She wants to go, let her…_' What kinda friggin' comment is that? How does Rina put up with that guy! I mean, Su made SeeD 'cuz she's real smart, but she's not fighter material… I guess her smarts will come in handy when we find our GF… If we ever find it at this rate… After several days of travelling, all we've been able to find are friggin' sand dunes, and more friggin' sand dunes… They all look the same! Damn! It pisses me off to think that we might have to return to Garden empty-handed!

"I think I see something…"

"Huh? Where, Su?"

"Towards the East, a couple of degrees North…Almost like following the wake of the last sandstorm…"

"Uh, explanation, please!"

"Oh, sorry, Zell… I was speaking to myself. Quistis and I talked 'bout it when I was helping her assemble together those notes she left for you."

"Wow! You're so lucky you got to speak with Instructor Trepe, Susana… That Almasy guy's sooo mean! An' sooo scary!"

"Well…"

Ah, shit! We have a friggin' Trepie in our squad… These people are like everywhere! This is the middle of the dammed desert for Hyne's sake! I can see how Seif might get upset 'bout it! Hell! I think I'm gettin' a bit upset too! Quisty's one of us! Somehow, it's just wrong for an outsider to have the hots for her! Kessler's real lucky I'm not Seifer…

"…Zell!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry Su. What d'you have?"

"Well, as you know Quistis and I found a very ancient record in the Shumi database… Because it was a protected one, we had to ask the Headmaster himself to request permission from the Shumi Elder to allow us access…"

"Yeah… I was kinda surprised that the Elder said yes!"

"I agree! The Shumi's are known for being very tight-lipped about their sealed knowledge, but…yeah…the Elder was very forthcoming with the information! We got the material very quickly, but to our dismay, great chunks of it were written in a language we've never seen before!"

"Yeah… I got ya! Quistis did mention that in her notes, but she couldn't do anything 'bout it 'cuz she got sent to Esthar… so she asked me to continue with the research…"

That's good ol' Quisty for ya! Always thinking of ways to help her friends! She left me some real good notes too!… Seifer's one lucky asshole to have her helpin' him!

"Didn't she mention it to you?"

"Err… Mention what?"

"That I would be taking over her research…"

Oh-oh… I think Su looks kinda hurt… Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Quis _did_ mention somethin' like Su would tell me more… But hell, thanks to Nida I've been running aroun' all dammed week doin' littl' errands for that tyrant Selphie! It completely slipped my mind!

"Uh, yeah… She did mention it somewhere, but…"

"It's okay, Zell…"

Aw, shit! I think she looks even more down now… And what's wrong with that littl' ass Ren? Why the _hell_ is _he_ glarin' at me for?

"…As I was saying, we both examined closely the ideograms used in the old records. It occurred to us that some symbols resembled old Centran… So upon Quistis's advise, I got Instructor Aki to help me decipher some …"

" –**_Phew!_**– Whoa! You got ol' Aki to help ya?"

I could see Su was real confused by my question… Earth to Susana Mendoza! Aki is like _the-most-feared_ instructor in ALL Gardens…!

"Yeah… Anyway, Instructor Aki is very knowledgeable of ancient scripts because of their magic incantations… I think at one point, the Instructor even served as advisor to Odine when Master Norg brought the doctor over to discuss the possibilities of GF junctions…"

"…So?"

"Zell! The records mentioned that at some point in history there was a large migration of people from the surface to the underground…"

Man! This chick gotta think I'm real dumb… Heh! I'm gonna show 'er! I crossed my arms over my chest and adopted a more brainiac pose… I've seen Quisty do this a lot when she was my instructor…

"I know, Su, we're supposed to be lookin' for an underground city… 'cuz that would explain the part 'bout '_the city that hath never known light_'…"

"That's right! Instructor Aki and I also found out from these old records that the Northeastern tip of Kashkabald desert used to be connected to the Southern part of the Esthar Continent…"

"You mean, like Abadan Plains?"

"Yes! The records indicate that a large migration of people left an area that we call nowadays Abadan Plains due to unspecified reasons to go south towards the desert..."

"Huh? What was it called before if not Abadan... an' how d'you know?"

"The Shumi records contained an ancient map!"

"What?"

"Well... It's not something we can use to help us now, Zell... I mean, this map looks nothing like today! Apparently the instance of Lunar Cry that changed the landmass of Centra Continent some eighty-odd years ago was not the first one to happen, nor the most devastating..."

"Su, you mean there was a _worse _one!"

"Yes, it seems that something similar but more devastating happened in Esthar Continent maybe... a thousand years ago? Even with Instructor Aki's expert linguistic help, the sealed records were hard to figure out! We could only decipher bits and pieces here and there..."

Wow! Su's really bright! Man! She sounds like... like Quisty! 'cept no fanclub! Though I think she's pretty popular... I wonder why she wants to be a_ librarian_? I know she likes books. Heh! So do I, but I'm sure as hell ain't gonna be spendin' my whole day with 'em! With her smarts she could easily apply for an instructor's license, but she wants to spend the whole day with books...

"... so that Pupurun Sea in Southern Esthar was a result of that; nevertheless..."

Oh, shit! I wasn't listening, but I better nod at whatever it is she's sayin'...

"Huh? Are you saying that you agree with that? There's no scientific evidence to support that!"

Hell! I better cover up!

"No... I was thinkin' that you and Aki are really good, Su!"

" –**_Blush!_**– Actually... we couldn't make sense of the map, so Instructor Aki's good friend Professor Thiong'o from Balamb University was drafted-in to help us."

"Whoa! Aki has... friends?"

"–**_Glare!_**– Zell! Prof. Thiong'o is a world renowned historical cartographer! We were lucky to secure his help! All thanks to Instructor Aki!"

Geez! It just blows my mind how anyone could dedicate their whole life lookin' at a bunch of old maps?

"Uh, sure, Su! So... the Shumi's were okay with that?"

"The Elder agreed to give permission only if Prof. Thiong'o were to take the Oath of Secrecy."

"...The Prof. agreed?"

"Well, yeah! To have access to such a rare and ancient artefact, let alone being able to touch it... was like a dream come true for the professor."

Man! I've heard 'bout the Oath of Secrecy, but I've never met anyone who's actually taken it! It's supposed to make you forget completely everything you've seen an' heard except with the people included in the... Hey! Wait a minute...!

"Su, did you have to take it too?"

"Of course! Both Instructor Aki and myself were asked to do so..."

"How come you're talkin' to _me_?"

"The Shumi Elder included you in the pledge... In fact, the Elder included all of Mrs. Kramer's children..."

I _know_ I gotta look as confused as Su does! What the _hell_ does all this mean? Was it because we defeated Ultimecia? But wait a minute... How 'bout Seifer?

"... But I'm pretty sure the Elder said _seven_ children, but there's only six of you in Garden, Zell… Who's the seventh?"

"Huh? Oh, that must be Ellone..."

"As in Ellone Loire?"

"Yup!"

"I thought she was only a good friend of Mrs. Kramer's!"

"Well... that too!"

"Oh! ... In any case, going back to the map... It was Professor Thiong'o who determined that the second migration wave started somewhere on present day Abadan Plains and moved slowly Southwest towards the Talle mountain range."

"...An' that's important because?..."

"…Professor Thiong'o knows a bit more of the old languages given his line of work and says those people called themselves 'Kaskabad'..."

"Huh? What does it mean?"

"Oops! Sorry, Zell. It means 'Kaskabad' or really 'Kashkabald' to give it a more modern sound..."

"NO way!"

"Yep!"

" –**_Humph_**– Even _if_ we have a better idea of which direction to take... D'you know how friggin' huge the area is? I just wished they'd left us like a big sized 'x' that would say somethin' like, '_Yo! We're here!_'…"

"Well... They did! Maybe I wasn't very clear on that... The records say that large groups of people suddenly disappeared '_as if swallowed by an immense whirlwind of sand_'... "

"Damn! That's why Selph gave me all those sandstorm scans!"

"Oh, yeah! I asked Selphie to give us the most recent meteorological readings of sandstorms in the area... Sorry I didn't tell you 'bout them before..."

"Meh! It's okay, Su. You're tellin' me now, so that's what matters. Anyway, good job!

"Err… –**_Blush_**– Thanks Zell! It means a lot to me!"

"YO! Zell!… Over here! I looked in the direction that Susana indicated, an' I see another sandstorm brewing in that area!"

"Let's head there, people!"

"Huh?"

"You heard me! Let's go!"

"–**_Mutter_**– He hasn't had any hotdogs for a week…"

"–**_Grumble_**– Yeah… finally lost it!"

"YOU! I heard that!… Double food rations for you!"

"–**_Groan_**– Nooo!"

"Bunch of losers, that'll teach ya to piss me off!... LET'S GO!"

…

…

…_These 'Legio Bellatoris Exsanguis', commonly known as the 'Umbrae' are to be feared, because they cannot be defeated by ordinary means. They are impervious to most magical and physical attacks, except for the strongest. And these will only serve as a temporary deterrent before they recompose again. If you ever have to face them, your only hope is to break the mind-hold of the magic caster who controls them… However, be warned! This course of action only serves to disperse them. It will not destroy them. Even if the caster where to die, this person would simply be replaced by another… _

_My child, if the Umbrae were to be given a choice, it is my greatest belief that they would choose to quit their painful existence. You should fear them, for they are a formidable adversary, but you can also pity them, for they have been robbed of their free-will. They are the unliving: Not dead, yet not alive. Every moment for them is a torment beyond anything you or I can ever hope to comprehend… Neither light nor darkness affects them. It is in their nature to diminish everything that surrounds them. They are the captive souls of warriors who sought to prove their prowess in the battlefield, but only met with treachery and deceit from those they purported to serve… Unfortunately, they cannot be released from their neverending torment. The fate of the Umbrae is inextricably linked to the destiny of the one who has been sealed under the seven signs of power…_

…

…

What the hell! Just when I friggin' thought things couldn't get any worse, they did! For starters, we lost our Chocobos! How the _heck_ were we supposed to know that sandstorms would scare the shit outta 'em! Not to mention we were attacked by a trio of Abyss Worms! Since when do those suckers travel in groups? And how did they EVER get so friggin' strong? I don't remember them being so difficult to beat! For all their whining, the team's pretty good at kicking ass…

We had just set out camp when outta nowhere we were hit by a huge whirlwind of dust that spooked our Chocobos loose! We had not time to run after 'em, cuz suddenly we were surrounded by three very ugly and humongous sandworms! Dammit! I hate this friggin' desert! Everything has become way harder! We will have to do our trek on foot… It's only thanks to Su's quick thinking that we still have some supplies! While the rest of us were fightin' those huge fuckers, Su ran after the Chocobo that was carrying our stuff… It_ was _loaded up so it couldn't ran as fast as the others! Man! It's a good thing she's quite handy with those daggers of hers or we'd have nothing! A quick flick of her wrists and she managed to release the packages from the running Chococo…

…Man! Have I mentioned before how friggin' hot this damn desert happens to be? We're low on food! We're low on supplies! An' what's worse: We're real low in morale! I hate this fucking place!

…

…

… _If you are reading this now, my child, it can only mean one thing: The Seal of Aleph has finally been broken. Nevertheless, I shall place all of my hopes with you, because in you our blood has renewed itself. Mine and that of my beloved Erythraea. As the blood of Lord Odin and Lady Xioma has also been renewed. And the blood of the rest of the Seven who created the Seals of Goetia. It will not be coincidence that you are to meet with them, or perhaps have already done so, but do not know. Remember Onna's descendent, Child of my Flesh, nekromantia__ is in your blood. I know, because you are reading this book. My book. The _Book of Ormus_ can only be read by the one who is most like him… _

…

Pensive eyes lifted from the book to stare out of delicate lattice windows. Beyond was a magnificent vista of the City of Baal. A city illuminated in its entirety by the huge glow flowers that hung from the stalactites above. The sleep gong had already resonated some time ago… **_'I wonder how surface people measure time… I know it cannot be determined by gauging the pulse emitted by glow flowers like we do here. These crystals only occur naturally in this cavern's stalactites. What was it that the Matriarch said…? Ah, yes, they are the cumulative result of millennia of Lunar Cry…' _**Snorting at her attempt to avoid thinking about what she'd just read, Zuleima placed her ancestor's writings on a nearby table. Lifting her hands high above her head she indulged in a nice stretch, deliberately turning her back on the book and therefore missing the fact that it had started to glow ever so slightly…

_Knock! Knock!_

Zuleima arched an eyebrow exasperated, **_'What can it be during the city's slumber time that requires _my particular_ attention?'_** She went to open the door. She could sense no urgency whatsoever… so whatever it was, she would be saying no.

"Yes?"

It was her birth-mother's closest retainer, "Zuleima, the Matriarch requires your presence in her chambers…"

She suppressed a sigh before replying, "Thank you, Saedi, please tell her I'll be there shortly…"

§ § §

"Greetings, Zuleima Alkhash-ka! Please be welcome to this humble Healing Aedis."

Zuleima smiled at the Assistant to the Doyenne of Baal's most important healing house, and returned the formality.

"Greetings, Oneida Baharaj. The Matriarch sends you and yours her regards."

"We are very honoured to have you here, Zuleima Alkhash-ka. It isn't an everyday occurrence that the Matriarch sends her only Birth-Child to check on the welfare of the people we have under our care… Although it is true that our humble establishment has admitted recently some very extraordinary patients. It is an honour for us to be able to tend the first surface dwellers to ever enter the fair City of Baal in more than a millennia!"

In normal circumstances, Zuleima did not object to Oneida's pompous and incessant chatter. She was a very kind person, but at times her obsequious demeanour and gossipy nature was vastly annoying. This was one of those times… **_'Where is Doyenne Ayashashi when she's needed?' _ **The question was purely rhetorical as she already knew the answer. Ayashashi Centzontotochtin was in Valefor tending her kinsman, the Kazar. _ –Humph– **' I knew that unctuous toad would find ways to irritate me!'**_ She refused to acknowledge the fact that she was being very unfair to the poor ailing Kazar.

"The surface dwellers are very young! It's to be expected. Only the young, either surface or here in Baal, who can act so foolishly! They were very lucky to be in the route of your cousin, that nice young man, Omar Roshd. Although I don't understand why he brought them here?... Usually, stray surface dwellers would've been taken directly to the Trading Post, but these were brought here to us! One of them in particular caught my eye!…"

"…Oneida Baharaj …"

Zuleima tried valiantly to put a halt to Oneida's gossipy streak, but it was a known fact that once started it was almost close to impossible to make her stop without being extremely rude!

"…He's a very handsome young man with hair the colour of bright gold, and the most intricate patterns etched on a side of his … Zuleima! Let go, child!"

Upon hearing the description, she had seized Oneida's arm in a dead grip! She ignored Oneida's scandalized expression, knowing very well that come the wake-up gong it would be all over Baal that the Matriarch's Birth-Daughter had reacted very strongly to the surface dwellers' presence.

"Oneida! Where are they!"

"Child! …"

"Please, answer!"

"I've placed them in the Esuna Chambers…"

"Take me there!"

"But they…"

"Please!"

"Very well. Follow me…"

§ § §

To be continued…

a/n:

Some cultural practices of the Kashkabald People:

They do not use honorifics nor do they use titles to address each other.

To be called by one's full name is a sign of respect and courtesy.

Only intimates or close family friends may call one by their first name.

People in public office may addressed by their designated rank or task:  
Such as Matriarch, Kazar, etc...

People can also address each other by their relationship:  
Chosen One  
Cousin  
Birth-Mother  
Birth-Child

People can also be addressed by designations they have earned or is proper of them:  
Child of Sand

It is considered to be extremely rude to shorten people's names or to call them by their first or last names if permission has not been granted to do so. In the more remote satellites of Baal, such an infraction can result in a heavy fine.


	40. Congestion

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities**

_Cities, like dreams,  
are made of desires and fears,  
even if the thread of their discourse is secret,  
their rules are absurd,  
their perspectives deceitful,  
and everything conceals something else._  
–Italo Calvino–

Chapter 8:** Congestion**

…

–Flash of blue light_–_

"_You may not pass!"_

_Without warning the Umbrae ceased their unrelenting attack, pausing in their effort to penetrate the barrier she had erected. The wraithlike creatures stood completely still. As if in waiting. Suddenly, a fell voice slithered into her mind, trying to wrestle with her control… Tired. Yes. She was tired. But not helpless. Summoning all the power in her command, she slammed the doors of her consciousness close to the insidious whisperings of the voice._

_(Lady Kiestus Xioma do not make it harder for thyself…)_

_A Master Caster. She should feel insulted at the slight. Even if Master Casters were at the very top of the hierarchy. But all she felt was relief. In her present condition, the Doma would have broken through her barriers like a sharp blade through paper. However, she could still deal with the likes of a mere minion, even one as powerful as she sensed this one to be. The caster's foul aura was somewhere nearby… heavily cloaked by a shield of invisibility. _

_She was having none of this subterfuge. Lifting her staff high she rammed it down hard against the ground shooting small reverberations of power through the vast room. _

"_Reveal yourself!"_

_A small shriek, and the figure of the caster was revealed. It was unmistakable. This one belonged in the rarefied upper echelons of the hierarchy: crimson mask, black cloak trimmed with the symbols of power, and protected by the fearsome army of unliving warriors it had learned to control._

_(I finally understand the reason they want thee alive, my lady. Thou art indeed powerful, and as such, useful to our cause. )_

_Some of the Umbrae surged forth, only to be dispersed by another powerful flash of blue magic._

"_I repeat. You cannot pass."_

_(Now, now, Lady Xioma, what be the use of thy defiance? The Seal of Aleph shall soon be no more, dispersed to oblivion by the very power it sought to contain. With the One gone, 'tis only a matter of time ere Beth, Gimel and all the rest succumb. One by one all the Seals of Seven will crumble to dust, and Truth shall finally be revealed!)_

_She ignored the taunting voice in her mind, and concentrated on keeping the Umbrae away from the Chamber of Rituals. Soon. She could sense its gathering energy –a most wholesome energy– coalesce and consolidate. Soon the ritual would be complete, and the Aleph would regain some of its strength. This, the foul creature did not know. _

_Time. Time was of the essence. Time to heal. Time to rebuild. To regenerate. It was their sacred duty to ensure this. Odin and herself, as true descendents of the lineage of Seven, were the upholders of the trust. She would allow nothing to stand in the way of its fulfilment. Her own children's chances of survival depended on this outcome. That knowledge alone gave her strength. She drew up her last dregs of her reserves…_

_(Thou art becoming weaker, my lady… Please allow me to expedite thy demise!)_

_Suddenly her eyes flared open. A tremendous force was trying to break through her barrier. Pain. Intense pain. Concentrate! She needed to concentrate. She tasted the saltiness of her own blood as it trickled from her lips to her chin trailing a thin path down her neck. Her aching body had already sustained much damage. It was standing by the strength of her will alone._

"_The path is sealed to you."_

_(Why art thou so stubborn, Lady Xioma? Surely thou canst last much longer… We are offering thee the choice to live. Serve us and thou shalt regain thy full strength!)_

_More Umbrae and their casters entered the chamber. Soon she would be surrounded, but she stood her ground._

_(What is thy verdict, lady?)_

_She smiled. She knew their foul leader was perplexed by the aura of calmness she exuded. She also heard echoes of a voice begging her to desist, but there was no time to trace it back to source. The room was almost full with the Umbrae, and their Casters. Good. The Umbrae could not be destroyed, but it took time and energy to train Casters. And talent. Only those with talent could be used. It pained her to see that they had been able to seduce so many… They were getting ready to attack her again._

"_Goodbye, beloved." She whispered._

_Raising her voice to its full power, she uttered the forbidden words that blue mages had been taught for centuries to respect and to fear._

"_Specus Ater."_

_As the sound of the words resonated in the room, a powerful flash of blue light engulfed everything…_

…

"AAAaaargh!"

…

"NOoo!"

…

"Quistis!"

Strong hands seized her shoulders, and shook her.

"AAAaaargh!"

"Quistis! Dammit!" –_Shake_– "Wake up!"

"DON'T!"

"Wake the fuck up!"

"NO!"

"Dammit!"

–_Slap!_ –

Pain. But not _that _pain…

"Quistis! –_Shake_– Snap out of it!"

Suddenly, Seifer felt her arms grab his shoulders while she stared at him blindly, tears running unchecked down her cheeks… She had never looked so afraid nor so vulnerable to him as in that particular moment. He tightened his arms around her.

"Dammit! What…"

Deep blue eyes full of shadows, stared up into his but they were eerily unfocused. The voice coming out of her lips sounded odd as well. It was her voice, but not hers.

"I didn't die?… Why?"

" –_Shake_– Quistis! What the hell are you babblin' about?"

She heard a familiar voice call out a name as if from a very long distance… **_'Quistis…Th-that's a familiar name…' _**She tasted the saltiness of…tears? Tears, not blood. Again she heard that familiar masculine voice.

"Dammit! –_Shake_– Fucking snap out of it!"

'_**I-I'm me…'**_

That masculine voice was calling her most insistently.

"Quistis! Wake up!"

'_**That's right…. That's…me.'**_

With great effort she resurfaced. She opened her eyes, and stared into a very familiar face. A very familiar frowning face.

"Se-Seifer?"

Her throat felt raw. His grip on her shoulders was like a manacle.

"Who the fuck d'you think it was at this time of night?!"

His voice sounded rough, but the arms around her were gentle. She was still trying to distinguish between dream and reality, but somehow his presence reassured her… She took a deep breath, and pressed her head against his chest. The steady sound of his strong heartbeat made her feel better. A hand lifted her chin and made her stare into his eyes, eerily illuminated by the strange mixture of city lights and moonlight filtering through the wide windows of her bedroom.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. All she could remember was a vast sense of emptiness.

"Bad dream?"

She nodded, still trying to shake off the vestiges of a remembered pain, both remote and vague. Now that she felt more like herself, she should really get off his arms, but his closeness calmed her.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

She moved her head which was tucked under his chin, "No, it's alright…"

The soothing strokes of his hand across her back made her feel better, more secure. He smelled nice too. His skin felt smooth and so warm… Unconsciously cuddling closer to him, she slipped one hand around his neck and the other across his waist. Her eyes flew wide open. She drew in a sharp intake of breath.

"OUCH! Fuck! Watch it, Trepe!"

In her rush to place a distance between herself and his nude body, she'd hit her head against his chin!

"SEIFER! You're _naked_!"

"What the hell did you expect? … Oh! That's Trepe screamin' her head off, but let me see what I'll wear first…"

"You could've at least worn pants or something!"

"No can do, _Instructor_… I ain't changin' my sleepin' habits just 'cause you're such a prude… 'sides I have all that's necessary here."

He got up and grabbed _Hyperion_ to show her what he meant. He smirked when he noticed that her eyes widened before swiftly looking away. The moonlight filtering through the huge windows illuminated the lovely curve of her shoulders and the thin straps of the white camisole she wore to sleep. One of them had fallen off her shoulder. Unable to resist the temptation, he went to her and planted a butterfly soft kiss on her left shoulder, even as he pushed the strap back in place. He not only heard her swift intake of breath, but also felt the slight tremor coursing down her body. Good. In spite of everything, in spite of that little fucker Zone, he still had the power to affect her. He turned to leave before she could recover sufficiently to berate him for the little liberty he took.

"Better get some shut-eye, Trepe. Tomorrow we leave early for _Timber_."

The door to her room slid silently close behind him. He hadn't been able to help himself. He'd spat out the name of where that little shit Zone lived. Maybe in this trip he would find some answers as to why she chose that loser over him. She was certainly not indifferent to him. He frowned, replaying in his mind –and not for the first time– the televised scene of her kissing Zone as that little diptshit let her hotel room late at night. Had it been any other person, that light peck on the lips would've just been interpreted as a 'friendly' salute, even a comforting one. But this was Trepe, the 'Ice Maiden'. _She_'d been the one to grab Zone's shoulder, and _she_'d been the one to kiss the little ass… **_'What the fuck does she see in that loser?'_**

Short of forcing himself on her –and on a purely physical level they were more than compatible– her mind, however, was something else. He knew that to only have one aspect of her would not be enough. Not even close. He'd known a long time ago that with the likes of Quistis Trepe, he wanted the whole package or nothing. He'd forced himself to be patient, when he was truly not that kind of a person. He'd forced himself to wait for her to come to him.

Changing direction during mid stride, Seifer made his way to the kitchen. He needed a drink. He didn't bother with lights. The illumination from outside was more than enough, besides his night vision was acute.

During their Centra mission, allowing her to go by herself to scout the area had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. After closing the door on her, he has to suppress the urge to rip it open and go after her…if only to cover her back. The only thing stopping him had been Irvine's warning look. It said,_ 'she'll never forgive you if you do.'_ He understood the meaning of pride. **_'The other me would've rushed the moment, ready to play hero. I wouldn't have taken her pride nor her self-worth into consideration…'_** But he'd been cured of that, and it was a bitter pill to take. But that was before, when he'd do anything to fulfil his so called 'romantic dream' of being a sorceress knight, not caring in his self-righteousness on who he trampled, just so he could believe in the fallacy of having saved the day.

Strange how the fulfilment of his childhood dream made everything fall to tiny pieces, too small for even the smallest of hands to pick up. That bitch Ultimecia had done a good job of impersonating Matron…but not good enough. Had he not rushed so eagerly to become her knight, he would've noticed the discrepancies instead of overlooking them…

…

"_Nice going, Chicken-wuss! You and your stupid big mouth! Take care of this mess! Instructor and Mr. Leader!"_

_He's been real pissed at Zell for shooting off his mouth, and furious that once again she'd chosen Squally over him! He would just have to show them! It would be up to him to clean up the mess! With his gunblade on Deling he'd stepped into the other room. Of course, miss Goody-Goody Trepe would follow him along with the rest of the losers. That's when he noticed the flash of light…_

"_...Poor, poor boy..."_

"_Stay away from me!"_

_It was the mysterious sorceress. She ignored everyone present and spoke to him only in a very taunting voice._

"_Such a confused little boy. Are you going to step forward? Retreat? You have to decide."_

_He saw Quistis rushing to him. Dammit! Did Trepe think herself fucking indestructible?! He yelled at her._

"_Stay back!"_

_But the sorceress had cast something on Quistis which had paralysed her. The others went to her aid. He refocused his attention on the witch. It was him she wanted._

"_The boy in you is telling you to come. The adult in you is telling you to back off. You can't make up your mind. You don't know the right answer. You want help, don't you? You want to be saved from this predicament."_

_He was already pissed at seeing Trepe go down, and what she'd said pissed him some more!_

"_Shut up!"_

"_Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Besides, you're only a little boy."_

_That did it! And in front of Puberty-boy too! The bitch was coming down!_

"_I'm not... Stop calling me a boy."_

"_You don't want to be a boy anymore?"_

_He needed to get her out of the way soon. Trepe needed help. But he could not leave her taunts unanswered…_

"_I am not a BOY!"_

_A strange force compelled him to let go of President Deling. The fucking coward ran away._

"_Come with me to a place of no return. Bid farewell to your childhood."_

_Good. She was leaving and taking him with her. Once they were away from the others, he would cut her down and he'd be hailed as a great hero! He brandished his gunblade in the air for the others to see he was going willingly. In a flash of light they were gone._

_Sorceress Edea had magically teleported them to her rooms at the Presidential Palace in Deling City. Once there, she sat down on a very grandiose and ornate chair that was located in the center of the large room. More than a chair, it looked like a throne. Not knowing what to expect, he gauged his surroundings looking for a possible exit, and tightened his grip on _Hyperion. _ Large amber eyes watched him expectantly._

"_You don't remember me, do you?"_

"_Huh?!" He was thoroughly confused by the unexpected question._

"_Come, child, and kneel before me!"_

"_I told you…"_

_Again, that same strange force compelled him forward and made him kneel before her! Against his will, his head bowed down. Scowling at his predicament, but unable to move, he heard her voice… It was an eerily familiar one…_

"_It saddens me that you cannot remember me, child." _

_He felt the palm of her hand cradle his face, and lift it up to hers. The contact made his skin tingle uncomfortably…_

"_I see you wear the fire-crosses I have drawn for you so long ago…and yet have forgotten all about me…" _

_It was his fatal mistake to look into her eyes. Her amber eyes, so sad, looked familiar to him. She smelled of the sea and of deep affection. Something he had sorely missed, sorely longed for, but had not known it. Suddenly, memories and sensations long suppressed by the forceful junctioning of GFs rushed back into his consciousness. It was like waking up from a long dream…_

"_Matron…" He's said that forgotten name in deep wonder. _

"_Do you remember me now?"_

"_Yes. Yes, I do."_

"_I'm a sorceress now. Cid Kramer has forsaken me. I have no one, but you, my child. Will you become my knight?"_

_Her eyes had been so full of sadness when she'd asked him. That was when he decided in the utter arrogance of his youth to stand for her and defend her against everything and everyone that tried to harm her._

"_Matron! It will be the greatest of honours to become your knight!"_

_She withdrew the hand from his face._

"_Very well, my knight, this shall be your first task…"_

…

Seifer took a swig of Krakka ale, and let the bitter dark taste of the drink settle in his palate. That was the only time that Matron as the Sorceress had touched him or shown him any sign of affection. At the very edge of his psyche, he felt Tiamat stir… **_'So these memories make you uncomfortable too?'_** They have allowed themselves to be corrupted by that witch. All the signs had been there for him to see, had he wanted to see them, but in his blind rush for his own selfish fulfilment he'd left everything behind… **_'I wanted recognition…'_** Tiamat stirred again,**_ 'You wanted power…' _** He took another long swig of the bitter brew, and looked pensively at Quistis's closed door, **_'Now we both pay for our selfish desires…' _**

He looked down at himself and sighed ruefully. Cold shower, then sleep. Like it or not, Timber would be their next destination. Watching Quistis interact with Zone, would definitely be a good test for his newly acquired self-control.

§ § §

–_Swoosh_–

Quistis watched the doors slide close, effectively blocking Seifer's tall powerful figure from sight. Did the man know no shame, parading around in the nude? She snorted, of course not, he was Seifer Almasy, as arrogant and self assured now as the day he was born! And dangerous. She sighed and slid back into the warm covers. Too warm. Her body felt overheated as it was… She squirmed trying to find a more comfortable position. Exasperated at herself and at her own inability to control her emotions, she threw the covers off. It was too hot anyway… Giving up on any attempt at sleeping, she sat up and drew her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees, **_'So many lights… Esthar City is beautiful at night…'_**

It was frustrating, not being able to remember the disturbing dream. At least if she could recall parts of it, she could make some sense out of this irrational fear she felt sometimes. In the back of her mind she could feel Shiva trying to soothe her frayed nerves… Like most people, she had her fair share of nightmares. Thinking on those recurring dreams she had of Matron, she took a deep breath and decided, **_'Some nightmares are worse than others…'_**, but they had never made her scream…or if she did, at least no one heard them. At B-Garden all SeeD quarters were sealed to afford its denizens some measure of privacy. Although she was quite sure she those horrible dreams did not make her scream… When she woke from those dreams she was drenched up in a cold sweat, but her throat never felt raw, like it did now.

Those horrifying dreams of mutilating Matron had not returned, but they had been replaced by something else… Something she couldn't remember at all. Whatever it was had made her scream loud enough to draw Seifer into her room. She swallowed again. Her throat felt sore and her body heavy. She had the strangest of sensations, as if she'd learned something… She felt Shiva's restlessness, **_'I guess it makes you uneasy too…'_** Sometimes she wished she could actually communicate with her GF, but the most she'd ever got was the imprint of an emotion or a strong urge…

She stared at the incredible view of Esthar City at night with Lunatic Pandora's huge superstructure serving as backdrop, like some bizarre squarish mountain. It was strange how used she'd gotten to a view that used to awe her so much only a few months ago. She thought about the architects of Lunatic Pandora. They had created a monster. Unlike the simplicity of its plain outer rectangular shape, the interior was a extremely complex maze of interconnected corridors going up, down and in all sorts of impossible directions. It had no concept of floors. Still, the various experts working on the LP project had managed to map out the structure's hermetic interior, and they had facetiously named the areas after the strength of the area's guardian so that 'Level 20 Crystal Hall 16J' actually meant monster level '20', on the y-z axis grid where _y_ was 16 and _z _was J. Crystal Hall was just a name they used to dub the central x-axis…

Feeling restless, Quistis got off the bed and went to the bathroom. Sensors were activated and the room lit up making her squint at the brightness.

"Dim."

Automatically, the system recognized her voice command and the lights went dimmer. Her own bleary eyes stared back at her from the mirror. Unable to help herself, her eyes strayed to the place where Seifer had placed his lips ever so slightly. Unconsciously, she raised her hand to touch it with trembling fingers, feeling the goosebumps coursing over her skin all over again… She thought about the times he'd kissed her senseless… **_'But that was before I came to Esthar…'_** She didn't want to admit it, but she'd come here with a certain sense of expectation, only to have it suffer a great tumble when she found out about Kiara. _**'I knew he was fooling with me… but I thought… –**Sigh**– Does it really matter now what I thought?'**_ She knew she was not his type. She'd known it for a while, but still she'd hang on to her foolish hopes… **_'Quistis Trepe, let that be your reality check... Seifer just likes messing with you.'_** There was no way she could compete with the Kiaras of this world…

She needed to go out more… **_'Maybe I'll accept Fred's invitation after all…'_** When she went shopping with Ellone for Nida's wedding, she'd literally stumbled upon Frederic Jenssen…

…

"_I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!"_

"_Miss Trepe?!"_

"_Quistis are you okay?!"_

_Both Fred and Ellone had spoken at the same time. She had blushed a bright red at her clumsiness, feeling annoyed at Seifer for refusing to buy the shoes he needed to attend the ceremony…_

"_Fred? Frederic Jenssen?"_

"_The same, miss Trepe! From Jenssen's Café in B-City."_

_She'd felt such a huge wave of homesickness to hear Fred refer to Balamb that way! She introduced him to Ellone, who promptly suggested they grab a bite to eat together. She had thought that Fred would decline, after all the last time they've seen each other had been highly embarrassing thanks to Seifer's rudeness, but to her surprise he had accepted Sis's invitation with alacrity and had even suggested a place! _

_That's when she found out that Fred, as he'd asked them to call him, had won a very prestigious scholarship to study International Relations at Esthar Memorial University…_

…

Quistis smiled recalling that meeting. It had been nice to see such a friendly and familiar face from back home! **_'Maybe after I return from Timber I'll take up Fred's invitation to go out…'_** She wasn't sure how she'd make it time wise , but she would definitely keep this in mind. Feeling better, she went back to bed.

This time she had a peaceful dreamless sleep.

§ § §

_Grandidi City, Trabia_

_(Hideyoshi Family Crest: A chrysanthemum sliced by a katana)_

_Daughter:_

_I'm writing this letter to remind you of the sacred duty entrusted to you since birth._

_It has been many years now since we last spoke to each other. I hope you are keeping well in that organization you have chosen over the wishes of your own family. The only satisfaction I draw is that a member of the Naosu clan, and the only niece of Mistress Tahera Ganryu is also part of this Garden organization._

_As the last surviving female of our line, the time might come for you to fulfil your duty and pay the debt of honour that has weighted down the Hideyoshi clan for many decades now. The holders of the debt might finally come to claim what belongs to them. If that time comes, you already know what to do. It has been taught to you from the cradle, and in turn you are to teach it to your own daughter if the debt remains unclaimed._

Xu crumbled the note, handwritten in her mother's own hand, and hurled it viciously against one of the walls in her room. Even a top notched SeeD could not escape her family history. She sighed uncharacteristically, and stood up to retrieve the crumpled parchment. The letter was short of an order to go home and visit. It could only mean one thing: her mother was seriously ill. Of course, centuries of Hideyoshi pride forbade her to mention it. To acknowledge one's own mortality and frailty was taboo in her clan. It was part of their coda and stamped on their psyche from birth.

Watching Zell's casual affection for Mrs. Dincht, or the others interact with the Kramers made her wish for a more normal relationship with her own mother. She sighed again. Did she ask to be born into the Hideyoshi clan? Did she ask to be the last scion of the freaking line? She would have to get permission from the Headmaster before embarking on her 'pilgrimage' home, but she knew already that permission would be granted.

Xu smiled for the first time, **_'The headmaster will probably take advantage of this summons, and ask me to visit Trabia Garden to play politics.'_** It was still unofficial, but the rumours had been circulating for months in the upper echelons of Garden organization: Fabiani, T-Garden's top dog, wanted to retire. She knew that everyone, Cid included, was scrambling to present a suitable candidate for the soon-to-be heavily contested post. She knew who the headmaster thought suitable, and this person had her full approval. She still remembered the little 'chat' she had with the headmaster…

…

"_Err…Xu… I was thinking to…"_

"_I decline, sir!"_

"_But, Xu! You don't even know what I was going to ask you!"_

"_With all due respect, sir, the rumours surrounding Headmaster Fabiani's retirement have been circulating for quite a while amongst the officers, sir!"_

"_Oh! May I inquire as to why you decline the nomination? Isn't your family seat in Trabia?"_

"_It's precisely because of it, Headmaster. I think it could generate too much conflict of interest…"_

_Xu tried not to flinch when the headmaster lowered his glasses to look at her over the thin wire frames. She knew Cid Kramer always gave people the impression of being a very fusty though kindly sort of fuddy-duddy, but she knew better. Behind those gentle eyes and mild demeanour lay one of the sharpest minds in all Garden. _

"_I see…"_

_Xu breathed again when the headmaster returned his glasses to their usual perch atop his nose. She was certain he '_saw' _far more than what she'd wanted him to see. After all, some members of her clan were members of the Trabian Senate… But to be so close to her family, when she'd gone through all that trouble and effort to get away from them as far as she could… It was unbearable to think about going back!_

"…_Very well. Then what do you think of…"_

…

'**_I'm sure Selph will make a great T-Garden Commander…'_** She wasn't too sure about the Headmaster part, but from the rumours she'd heard, there'd been talks of following B-Garden's example. Just thinking of Selph in T-Garden's supreme post made her smile evilly, **_'Hah! Those jerks won't know what hit them! She looks so sweet and gullible! As if she was a pushover… Heh, heh!'_** Appearances were always so deceptive. **_'_** –_Sigh_– **_Anyways, I better go ask the Headmaster now, before I make up an excuse not to go…' _**

With that last thought in mind, Xu left her quarters to head for the Headmaster's office.

§ § §

"_**Voice identification required"**_  
"_**Please state your name and rank"**_

"SeeD André Legrand, Rank 'A'."

"_**A moment please…"**_

André waited patiently for the system to verify his information. After G-Garden had been so easily taken over by dissenters, Martine had become paranoid. Even when summoned to the Headmaster's office, everyone had to undergo the screening process.

_Blip!_ –_Green_–

"_**Voice print confirmed"**_

The doors to the elevator slid open.

"_**Please step into the lift, Instructor André Legrand, Rank 'A'"**_

After he did just that, the system began to finalize its security check.

"_**Height and weight… Confirmed with in-file data"**_  
"_**You may proceed to the top floor, Instructor 0178"**_

André smiled ever so slightly. The scan also checked for weapons, but he was one of the scant few that the Headmaster and Commander of G-Garden trusted to be armed in his presence. He knew that the system would recognize the magic signature of his twin masamune blades, and not raise the alarm flags as it normally would if anyone were to visit the Headmaster with their weapons. It was a rule that Martine had instituted in G-Garden almost two years ago: No one visiting the Headmaster's office can do so armed.

André stepped out of the lift. He was greeted by a silver haired lady with very straight posture and a startling set of blue eyes. There was a large screen embedded on her desk, with data flashing down constantly.

"Good morning, Instructor Legrand, the Headmaster is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Zucchero."

She nodded and continued with her work. Mrs. Zucchero had been in this office forever. Even when G-Garden had been commandeered by Sorceress Edea, she's coolly performed her duties as usual. As if nothing had happened, all the while plotting with a few people loyal to Martine to have him reinstated at the helm. They, the Martine Loyalists, should consider themselves lucky that at the time, the Sorceress had only thought about the military hierarchy and had ignored the civilian admins. She'd also placed her lapdog, Almasy as Commander. That punk had cared nothing about paperwork. It was an opening. Much as it went against the grain, they had aided Leonhart and the others to infiltrate G-Garden.

The doors to the Headmaster's office slid noiselessly open. Stepping in, André saluted the man behind the desk smartly. Martine was of middle-height and build, but the power and authority he exuded made him seem much larger. He had all the bearing of a man whose whole life had been and _was_ the military. Unlike the incredible laxity he'd observed in B-Garden, here at G-Garden everyone wore a uniform that clearly identified their status and rank, with any violations severely punished.

"Sir!"

"At ease."

Martine gestured toward a chair, "Please sit."

"Thank you , sir!"

As usual, the Headmaster wasted no time.

"I just got off the phone with Fabiani. He will be resigning his post at year's end as Trabia Garden's Commander and Headmaster. This is our opportunity to act."

"Sir, I heard rumours that the Council wanted to split the post…"

"Nonsense! That's just mere rumour! It's not in the best interests of Garden organization to break up such an important position."

André waited for his superior to continue. He knew he'd hit a very sensitive spot with the Headmaster. Contrary to what anyone might think, Robert Jasper Martine was not a cold man, but he believed in the value of discipline. In the Galbadian Headmaster's eyes, discipline was sadly lacking in Balamb Garden now and in the past. That flaw had allowed its students to run amuck, and created monsters such as Seifer Almasy. In Martine's eyes, that punk Irvine Kinneas had been corrupted by too much contact with B-Garden's denizens. Too bad about that, they lost a superb marksman. It was Balamb's gain and Galbadia's loss…

"André, I want you to pick an elite group of SeeD, and lead them in Lunatic Pandora. This should boost-up your profile before Garden Council, and improve our chances of controlling Trabia Garden. We cannot allow it to go the same route as Balamb!"

"Yes, sir!"

"While you're at it, keep an eye on that punk Almasy. It's unfortunate, but you will have to report to him…"

Martine looked at the serious young man seated before him in the eye. He was not very happy when André reported that Balamb had complied with all Garden regulations to the letter, and that _both_ that upstart Almasy and Kinneas as well had passed the written portion of their exams with near perfect scores. He'd also looked for any misdemeanour or lack of professionalism during the various reports regarding their Field Exam performance so he could fail their SeeD Exam, but that glowing letter by Councilman Tavares had soured his efforts. It had been a very bitter pill to swallow, having to sign _his_ name on the approval form.

"I don't know _yet_ what Kramer, and that idiotic president of Esthar were planning when they named Almasy to lead the security side of the Lunatic Pandora Project, but Quistis Trepe has been assigned to him as aide… Maybe if we play our cards right, she might be persuaded to join our side. She cannot be very happy now that such a top-notch SeeD as she is has been overlooked for the post and made to play nanny to that low ranking punk!"

"Sir, as I've stated in my report, the Kramers seem to have a very special relationship with Almasy, as well as with Trepe."

"You can also add Leonhart, Kinneas, Dincht and Tilmitt to the mix, André." The headmaster began to sound exasperated, "I know all about that! Don't forget who else is residing in Balamb Garden."

"Rinoa Heartilly Caraway, the general's daughter…"

"Exactly. He's been keeping tabs on her as much as he can. I have to admit that for all their laxity inside, it's been impossible for him to penetrate their security. In any case, you can rest assured that when the time comes, we have Caraway's full support."

"That's good to know, sir!"

Martine seemed to ponder something before saying slowly, "You might have a point there, André. From my dealings with Instructor Trepe she's not the kind that can be persuaded to switch sides for anything. I'm also more interested in gathering intelligence than in adding an extra instructor to our roster. There has also been rumours of a huge construction site in the vicinity of Lunar Gate. I find the lack of information regarding such a large site disturbing, as well the level of sophistication used in blocking any incursions from our spy-bots…"

The headmaster looked a his subordinate with a critical eye. André Legrand was quite a handsome young man, and very popular with Garden's opposite sex or so the gossip that filtered to his office stated. For all her intelligence, Trepe had always struck him as a naïve girl… He couldn't help but suspect that Trepe's post was only a decoy for a much larger project. One in which he had not been invited to participate. He didn't like that.

"See what information you can get from Trepe, André."

Martine looked at his top SeeD in the eye so that his meaning was clear. The young man being no slouch understood exactly what the Headmaster meant.

"Understood, sir. I'll do whatever I can to extract as much information as I can."

"Dismissed. Mrs. Zucchero will fill you in with the details."

"Yes, sir!"

André stood up and saluted his commander smartly. It's only when his back was to Martine that he allowed himself a wide smile. It would be _his_ pleasure to _persuade_ the beautiful Quistis.

§ § §

To be continued…


	41. Signs

**Disclaimer: **All FF8 characters are courtesy of Squaresoft Enix

* * *

**Advent of the Necromancer: Book II  
Hidden Cities – Open Cities  
**

_**I would like to dedicate this chapter to all my patient readers! **_

_The city says everything you must think,  
makes you repeat her discourse, and  
while you believe you are visiting,  
you are only recording the names with which  
she defines herself and all her parts._  
– Italo Calvino –

Chapter 9:** Signs  
**

**GIRL NEXT DOOR**  
We shall be taking a peeping trip  
into the home of our gorgeous  
Superheroine **Morgana Laffite!!!**

**BISHOUNEN FIX**  
Don't miss our Special Issue!  
Featuring the very hunkalicious  
Supervillain Sorceress Knight  
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**CARPE DIEM **WATCHES  
No Time Like Present Time!21.12.01 AU  
_The time is _21:47:08,59

Zone tried not to sigh too audibly as he made a valiant attempt to ignore the intrusive presence of all these in-your-face signs. Timber Maniacs Conglomerate, and its various subsidiaries were a major sponsor in this fundraising charity reception for post-war orphans; hence the proliferation of flashy billboards at the event. He was a war orphan himself, and this charity had been created at his own instigation. The _least_ he could do was to suck it up and smile. His being there, gave the inauguration of the Children of Timber Foundation a kick start.

The present economy of the Free Republic of Timber (FRT) relied heavily on revenues generated by its telecommunications industry, as well as by its broadcasting and publishing conglomerates . It was feat of poetic justice that the underground efforts at covert communications of so many resistance groups, had paid off in such a big way. Zone smiled. His people sucked at guerrilla warfare. They sucked in real melee fighting. Period. However, they were damned good at getting the message across, at clanking out communiqués, clandestine wireless broadcasting, sneak digitalized newsflashes, etc. In truth, had the Sorceress not meddled with Galbadian politics, had not Seifer Almasy appeared onscreen brandishing his gunblade against that bastard Vinzer Deling… They would still be a subjugated people. There would be NO Free Republic, just the occupied country of Timber. Ironic how the two people who managed to wreak so much havoc in Galbadia, had actually galvanized and united all the various factions at Timber into real action!

They had been shamed by the fact that an unknown outsider had done what everyone had been "thinking" of doing, but actually never did. Their own rebellion had become a "comfortable" one. Everyone belonged to some "underground" resistance group, but all they did was talk, talk, talk… Nothing ever came out of it. Then it would be time to go home, have dinner, go to bed. With hindsight, Zone understood that the militaristic Galbadians must've viewed with contempt the so called "underground" activities of the various rebel factions, because they knew that nothing would come out of them. From time to time, in a show of muscle-flexing, someone would be taken away for "questioning", and never to be seen again. His own faction had been the most troublesome of the lot, but ever since Rinoa joined their group, the occupying army stopped harassing them. It was only after Rinoa –codenamed the "princess"– had confessed to him WHO she really was, that he finally understood the reason for the Galbadian's army sudden laxity towards his group, the Forest Owls.

Zone's gaze strayed in the direction of the ex-sorceress knight, now turned SeeD Leader, Seifer Almasy. With great reluctance he admitted that the man had the self-assured presence of a natural born leader. He snorted when he saw the actress Morgana Laffite gravitate towards his tall figure. No luck. After a brief perfunctory greeting, it was obvious that Almasy was not interested, but Ms. Laffite was not the kind of person who would admit defeat easily. The President of FRT sighed, yet again. –Fate– that strange, often annoying force which seemed to rule everything, had once again played him for a fool. Never in a million years would he have thought that a man he resented so much, would become one of his main political assets!

In spite of the very successful monster-elimination run provided by B-Garden back in the summertime, some very powerful members of Timber's Lower House had objected quite vocally to an extended contract with Garden, arguing that it was too expensive. They wanted to create their own Lunar Cry Response team. Zone could see the merits of such a motion, but he knew better than anyone how much time and effort was needed to gather and to train the necessary people. Time was something they could not afford. The death of almost an entire convoy of engineers and construction workers, at the hands of Wendigo monsters in the vicinity of Odel Lake, had created a national furore. The media had reported the incident with all it's gory details… specially now that there was no censorship.

In order to save face, the people blocking passage of the contract through FRT's Lower House had suddenly "agreed" to pass the necessary bill subject to "re-negotiation". After much deliberation, Zone decided that he would not be taking any chances, and had requested the presence of Garden's two most popular figures in Timber: Quistis Trepe and Seifer Almasy. The beautiful instructor was popular for the obvious reasons. The larger-than-life image of her calling out to her teammates onscreen had inscribed itself into the psyche of most Timberites: beautiful and heroic … As for Seifer… Headmaster Cid had not been surprised when he'd requested Almasy's presence for the re-negotiations. In Timber, he was considered quite a hero, **_'Humph, being good-looking doesn´t hurt…' _** Zone thought sourly. The arrogant bastard had gotten enough "get-well" messages, and care packages sent to him from Timber! His people had even gone so far as to copy whatever the bastard wore. There was a proliferation of grey trench-coats everywhere!

The only thing that had made him pause for a second, had been consideration of Almasy's explosive temper, but decided to brush that concern aside. In his mind, he'd figured Quistis would be the one handling the negotiations, and that firecracker would be kept firmly in the background, more for "ornamentation" purposes than anything else. That's why he'd been quite taken aback when Quistis _and_ Seifer, _both_, gave theirinput during the important talks. He'd been even more amazed when the ex-knight not only did not threaten anyone, but had actually something intelligent to contribute! In fact, he had been articulate enough that the others had actually paid close attention to what he had to say! He'd always figured that those B-Garden pretty boys, were just for show, all looks and muscles, but no brains, preferring to solve everything by hacking at it… **_'That should put _me_ in my place!...'_**

The President of the FRT smiled wryly as he looked in Almasy's direction again. There was mixture of resentment, envy and resignation in that regard. Even though Seifer had never done anything to him; even when he'd given some of the people in his rebel faction lessons in attack and self-defence, he couldn't help himself. Every time he stared into that face, it was like rubbing salt into a live wound! It reminded him of how Seifer had just casually strolled into their lives a few summers ago, and stolen Rinoa from right under his nose! Not that Rinoa had ever encouraged him in any way, or anything. She had always looked upon him as a sort of older brother. Still, he had his hopes. Only to have them crushed into bits by Almasy's cocky appearance…

…

"_Zone! Zone!"_

_As he looked into Rinoa's glowing face, he felt his heart sink like a stone in water._

"_I just met the coolest guy!"_

_She clasped both hands over her breast, a wide smile on her pretty face._

"_He's a SeeD cadet from Balamb Garden! I think he can be a great asset to our cause!"_

"_Bu-But Rinoa! Have you thought things through?... I mean, we don't know this guy...!"_

"_Zone! You worry waaay too much!"_

"_But..."_

_It didn't matter what he said or how he objected, once Rinoa's mind was fixed on something it was impossible to change! So for the rest of that summer she'd walked around with a dazzled look on her face..._

…

As usual, nothing had really changed. Even with that scar now marring his face, the ex-sorceress knight was the centre of attention, a lot of it the admiring female kind. **_'But he doesn't look very happy… I wonder what got him so ticked off?' _**He seemed to be only half-listening to something Morgana Laffite was saying to him. It was amazing how much that actress looked like Rinoa! **_'Well, maybe a bit better endowed…'_** She was clinging to Seifer now, while those media hounds were taking pictures of them like crazy. The bastard should look happy, instead of frowning. Miss Laffite was an extremely popular and well sought-after actress!

Suddenly Seifer's sea-green eyes locked with his. The animosity in that gaze made Zone gulp nervously. It reminded him forcibly of yesterday, when Seifer had deliberately cornered him after a meeting to demand in a cold voice, that he be given a detailed account of the security measures taken for today's reception. In spite of himself, the intimidating scowl on Seifer's face had made him blurt out that Watts was the one in charge of security. Grimacing at the memory, Zone wondered why Seifer needed to go over the safety measures taken for today's reception.

From Watts's report, Almasy had made him go over the plans in detail, and had actually suggested a few improvements to tighten security. **_'Hmn…now that I think about it, he also made a big fuss about security during the talks.'_** Zone looked in Quistis direction. He'd asked her earlier on if she would know why Seifer wanted the floor plans for the reception, but she'd surprised him by giving him a very vague answer about making sure as SeeD that everyone always be in the highest state of alert, just in case. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn that she was deftly evading his question, as well as alerting him about something… Now that he had time to assess the situation, it looked as if those two were watching each other's back… **_'Now, why? Why is that?'_ **

Earlier on, Seifer had stood looming over Quistis looking like a hound from hell. Only the bravest of her large group of admirers, had dared approach her in greeting –himself included– The rest had contented themselves in admiring from afar. Not a good thing. The main idea for the reception was to socialize and to rally for a good cause. Was it only his imagination, or did Almasy's eyes become downright feral when looking at him? In any case, he didn't stick around long enough to find out. Not healthy…

At least Quistis decided to take charge of the situation, because after the last person left their presence with a red face, she pulled Seifer to a secluded corner… As they were hidden from view, he didn't see nor hear what Quistis said to her recalcitrant ex-student; but as a result, when they emerged, they each went into different directions. Quistis to speak with Representative Esmond Jones, and Seifer straight for the bar.

Zone understood why the Headmaster often used Quistis as B-Garden's spokesperson and chief negotiator. No matter how uncomfortable she truly felt, **_'she's very good at presenting a cool and collected exterior…' _**not to mention the fact that she was frightfully intelligent. She had that old curmudgeon Jones eating out of her hand. Garden's most vocal opponent, was now its most visible supporter. **_'Well, at least she's clever on _some_ things…' _**

More resigned than surprised he'd noticed the furtive looks Quistis gave the ex–knight. Not that it was obvious or anything, but after years of subterfuge, he was an expert in reading people's expressions. Zone shook his head, **_'How does he do it?' _** First Rinoa, and now Quistis has fallen too? What truly surprised him was the fact that they were not together! Given Seifer's earlier stance, he'd bet his entire prized collection of _Girl Next Door_ that he was more than a little interested in his hot ex-instructor! **_'Of course, knowing how regimented Quistis can be… I can see why she would be troubled at being attracted to such a badass character!. . . Good! Good! At least Quistis will make him work for it! The lucky bastard!_**'

Zone prided himself on the fact that he knew Quistis better now. It seems that she had never forgotten his gesture when he'd given her his own train ticket out of Timber so she could escape the Galbadian forces with the rest of her team. Then, he'd only caught glimpses of her during the Sorceress Trials, but had no real direct contact with her. He'd only gotten to know her better, when B-Garden was hired to help FRT control the alarming proliferation of monsters that had exploded all over the place! She'd commandeered the SeeD team, and had personally delivered a hand-written message to him from Rinoa…

The current President of FRT blushed slightly when he remembered how he'd broken down, and cried like a baby upon receiving the letter. He was a few years older than the instructor, but when she'd comforted him, she had acted so big sister like! Zone cracked his first genuine smile of the evening. Quistis Trepe was a nice person through and through. Unfortunately, people found it hard to see her in that light, _because _she was so beautiful, and so stand-offish at first.

He himself had had trouble in the beginning. Beautiful as she was onscreen, in flesh and blood she was even more impacting. The first he'd met her, his brain had shutdown temporarily, and the engine below his waist had gone on overdrive! Of course, he was an expert in camouflage, so he'd only needed one look into those inquisitive blue eyes to regain his equilibrium…

He wondered idly if he should alert Quistis of the fact that they'd been talks of creating a Trepe club outside the Garden system… **_'Nah… She'd only get upset.'_**

She was the kind of person who took her duties very seriously, much more so than someone twice her age! Such frivolities would probably distress her… **_'Hyne knows everyone else would be flattered as hell, but not so Quistis…'_** Zone thought, and not for the first time, if Quistis wouldn't have been happier had be been born with much plainer looks… **_'Humph, if she were uglier I wonder if…'_** Unwittingly, Zone looked again in Seifer's direction and was met by the ex-knight's unabated green stare. Cold and deadly.

Zone smiled nervously, glad that Almasy was unable to read minds, and unconsciously placed his middle finger inside necktie that suddenly felt like a hangman's noose.

"Zone, my boy!"

The Duke of Dollet, arriving fashionably late to the reception, made his way in his usual forceful manner to the President's side, waving aside with his hands a group of people who obviously wanted to give His Excellency a proper greeting. Normally, his lordship was the kind of person that would make Zone feel inadequate, but right now he welcomed the Duke's interruption.

"Your Excellency! Welcome! I'm extremely grateful that you took time away from your busy schedule to come and show your support to our worthy cause…"

"Yes, yes… Glad to be of service. Now, that we have dispensed with the formalities, kindly introduce me to that beautiful young lady."

Zone didn't bother to ask Lord Dollet which one he meant, in spite of there being quite a few present at the reception tonight. All he needed to do was follow the direction of the Duke's gaze.

"Uh, certainly Your Excellency!"

They both approached Quistis who was for once sporting a more natural smile as she conversed, feeling quite at ease, with Watts, Timber's Presidential Chief of Staff. Zone threw a nervous glance to where Seifer was standing, not too far away from Quistis but far enough to give her some breathing space. He exhaled a sigh of relief, Almasy was temporarily distracted by Ms. Laffite and another beautifully turned lady. A new arrival, no doubt. She was quite a grand dame, and looked vaguely familiar.

Refocusing his attention on Quistis, Zone wondered idly at the back of his mind, if Quistis wore the SeeD dress uniform and those wire rimmed glasses as some sort of unconscious protection. Before he could make the proper introductions, the Duke had suavely taken hold of Quistis hand, and placed a very gallant kiss on it. After His Excellency straightened, he smiled straight into the lovely azure eyes of the surprised young lady that stared at him through the clear lenses of her wire-rimmed glasses.

"Miss Trepe, allow me the liberty of introducing myself. Alistair Sandro Dolletia at your service!"

After executing a perfect bow, the Duke gallantly held out his forearm. Recovering quickly, Quistis smiled shyly, and placed her hand on the proffered arm. After the initial shock, she had recognized him immediately, if not from the news –in which the Duke and the various sundry members of his family were subject to constant scrutiny…and gossip– at least from the days of Seifer's trial, when His Excellency sat as a member of the World Court Panel of 7 Judges.

"Your Excellency! It's an honour to meet you in person."

"Ah, Miss Trepe, the honour is all mine. I finally have the pleasure of meeting face to face, Counsel Seagill's most diligent assistant…"

Poor Zone was not as quick to recover as Quistis. After casting her an apologetic glance at the unexpectedness of the introduction, he realized that the wily old aristocrat already knew Quistis' name… Feeling slightly annoyed –something which seemed to happen quite a lot tonight– Zone wondered why the Duke even bothered asking him for an introduction. **_'Wow, if Quistis ever wanted to become a movie star, she would have an already built-in fan base!… _**Then thinking about it, quickly discarded the idea, **_'Nah! She's way too self-effacing. That prospect probably hasn't even crossed her mind!'_**

Zone watched Quistis exchange polite conversation with the Duke. She listened attentively, without fidgeting or gushing, to the discourse of one of the planet's most influential, not to mention most difficult, persons.**_ 'She's wasted as an instructor! She would make a great diplomat… Hey! Maybe she can get His Excellency to donate more money to the Children of Timber Foundation!'_** Cheered by these random thoughts, he decided to leave Quistis to handle the Duke, while he and Watts made the usual smooching rounds in the huge reception area. He opened his mouth excuse himself and his aide, but before he could utter a sound, he was cut by a new voice –a husky feminine voice with a very dry tone.

"Alistair, as usual, monopolizing the pretty ones."

Zone eyes widened when he watched the petite lady he had sighted before with Seifer make her way to them, her left hand firmly clutching the ex-knight's right forearm. Miss Laffite was nowhere to be seen. Of course she had looked familiar! Zone felt like an idiot for not recognizing **_the_** Ganryu right away! In spite of her very petite and feminine form, only the extremely dimwitted would fail to recognize the air of authority and power she exuded, like some sort of enveloping perfume around her person!

"Tahera! Always a pleasure." After bowing low and kissing the lady's imperiously held-out hand, the Duke straightened. Then, he cast Seifer a measuring look and said with a charming smile, "It seems I'm not the only one with such propensities…"

"–_Humph!_– This dear boy here is my niece's best friend, Seifer Almasy, and as you well know, ex-sorceress knight."

Tahera Ganryu patted Seifer's arm and smiled up at him. Then she turned to fix the Duke with an almost challenging glance,

"I believe you two have not been properly introduced yet… Your Excellency, may I present Seifer Almasy…"

The Duke took another measuring look at Seifer, who returned his stare unabashedly, even to the point of raising one blonde eyebrow slightly. The Duke more used to people sucking up to him all his life, was rather intrigued by the arrogant impertinence of the young man who stood before him. To the surprise of the many watching the exchange avidly, His Excellency tended his hand out, and exchanged a firm handshake with the young ex-knight. Something he rarely ever did, as the powerful Duke of Dollet would usually just acknowledge people by a slight inclination of his head. Or not at all.

"Ah, Mr. Almasy, I see that you have recovered quite well from your brush with the Sorceress..."

"And I see that Dollet has emerged unscathed from its little "brush" with Galbadia, Your Excellency."

Silence.

"Hahaha!..." The silence was broken by Tahera's delighted laughter. "Ah, Alistair! You'll have to concede he got you there!"

The Duke smiled wryly, and started to laugh as well. It had been a very long time since someone, let alone a mere whippersnapper had put him so firmly in his place.

"My dear Tahera, I concede to your superior judging skills."

Looking straight at Seifer, the Duke said.

"Let's exchange partners, you young rapscallion! –_Harrumph!_– You were coming to retrieve her anyway."

Smiling down at Quistis as he handed her over, His Excellency continued.

"Perhaps some other time, my dear young lady," and then in a lower tone of voice that only a surprised Quistis could hear, "I'll be watching with great interest how you deal with this young scamp of a knight." Quistis blushed to the roots of her hair, unable to correct the Duke's erroneous assessment of the situation. Alarmed, she saw Seifer narrow his eyes dangerously. Responding instinctively to the alarm in Quistis' blue eyes, Zone barged in abruptly.

"Madame Ganryu! Allow me to welcome you! It's a great pleasure to have you attend this reception!"

Tahera smiled at Zone knowingly and answered with a twinkle in her grey eyes.

"I'm pleased to be here, President Alloutte, in support of such a worthy cause."

"Please allow me to present you my aide, Watts Electro…"

Quistis exhaled the breath she had been holding, and flashed Zone a very grateful smile. She tightened the hand she had on Seifer's forearm to signal him to keep his opinions to himself! She_ knew_ he was about to say something! Probably something unforgivable... Even **_if_** he had the Ganryu's favour, antagonizing the powerful Duke of Dollet was just not done! The Headmaster would be getting heart palpitations were he to be present at such an event!

Following the Duke's example, he bowed low (albeit a bit clumsily) to kiss the grand lady's imperiously proffered hand. Tahera Ganryu was no slouch, she had caught onto his stratagem in a flash. Zone was very relieved that she had decided to play along... If memory served him correctly from the old resistance days, Seifer had a wicked, not to mention, foul tongue!

Imitating his boss's gesture (but with a bit more grace), Watts did the same when that regally held hand went in his direction. Seifer watched the entire proceedings with a slight smirk on his handsome face. He waited until the toadying was over, and surprised everyone by gently bringing Quistis forth to the center of their little group.

"Tahera, I would like you to meet my ex-SeeD Instructor, Quistis Trepe."

It was Quistis' turn to be subjected to a measuring look from very wise feminine eyes, before a fragrantly perfumed cheek was lifted her way. A bit awkwardly, Quistis returned the gesture by grazing the proffered cheek with her lips, and saying.

"It's an honour to meet you Madame Ganryu."

Tahera smiled. Her niece Fujin was an excellent judge of character. Her description of the lovely SeeD instructor had been flawless. She looked calm and composed on the outside, but those blue eyes gave away the inner turmoil felt by their owner whenever they alighted on a certain someone… Hmmn…Young people nowadays were so complicated! Biting her tongue, Tahera decided to mind her own business; still, she could put the girl at ease.

"Oh, please call me Tahera! I have a niece who's also a SeeD at Balamb Garden."

"Your niece is a SeeD?"

"Yes, Fujin has told me quite a lot about you."

"Fujin is your niece?"

Quistis felt really stupid repeating what she was told like a parrot. Unconsciously, her eyes rose accusingly to meet Seifer's. Just like him to keep important information like that to himself! Unrepentant, all he did was merely raise an eyebrow as if saying, _"So what's the big fucking deal?"_

The Duke interrupted their silent exchange.

"Pardon us, but Tahera and I have quite a lot of catching up to do." Then added almost as an afterthought to Zone, "Until later."

Tahera waved everyone a cheerful farewell with the beautifully hand-painted fan she held in a perfectly manicured hand. Of the young people left behind, only Quistis was surprised at the rather abrupt manner of their departure, having met the Duke and the Ganryu only for the first time. Zone and Watts were used to the Duke's imperious ways, and Seifer, although quite fond of Tahera, couldn't care less if he never were to set eyes on that annoying old fart again…

§

"Well, Tahera, what brings you out of that jungle you Trabians call Grandidi City?"

"Really, Alistair, you of all people should refrain from calling our beautiful green haven a jungle! After all Dollet is built on an arid piece of rock, open to all sorts of incursions."

"Ah, it's been too long since you and I exchanged words! You broke my heart when you accepted Ganryu's suit over my own!"

"–_Humph!_– I didn't want to leave Trabia, and it didn't take you long to replace me."

"You should know all about political alliances; however, poor Sofia proved to be a weakling, and therefore easy prey for my political opponents."

"What will you do if Roberto ever finds out the truth about his mother's 'accidental' death?"

The Duke raised an eyebrow and inclined his head briefly in Tahera's direction, as if in homage, "Thanks to you, he will never find out. You sent Jomei, did you not?"

"Indeed. Jomei handled the task."

"As I was saying, Roberto has no reason to believe his mother's death to be anything but accidental."

"Your Roberto is a sweet boy."

"I thought Quistis Trepe would make him an excellent wife. That boy is too much of a pansy to make it on his own, he needs a strong skilful woman to back him up!"

"I don't think you should set your sights on that particular young lady..."

"–_Harrumph!_– I'm surprised that young hoodlum didn't attack me right away!… He's quite a formidable warrior when roused."

"Alistair, I believe that young man has grown quite a bit since his brush with the sorceress…"

" –_Humph!–_ Once a hoodlum, always a hoodlum!"

"Why! You like him, don't you, Alistair?"

"You think he would agree to leave Garden if I offer him enough incentive?"

"If he could be swayed, he would be working for me now…but that is one stubborn young man!"

"It doesn't surprise me that young thug is best friends with your niece. It takes one to know one!"

"You're such a sore loser! Really! You should be happy that Fujin refused to marry your Roberto. He's too sweet a boy to be married off to someone like my niece. She would make mincemeat out of him!"

"He needs someone strong by his side!"

"You mean, he needs a wife that can double as bodyguard. How many attempts were made against his life this week?"

"Three."

"I see…"

"That beautiful young SeeD would have Roberto eating out of her hands in no time whatsoever! But its also very evident where her interest lies! I would want my Roberto's life to be different from mine. A sense of duty will only breed an heir to the dukedom, but a strong bond can create a real ducal family."

Tahera turned to stare at the man she had known for so many years. After a peculiar silence she finally said, "You really mean it."

"Yes, I do."

"Well, in any case, even if you tried, I don't think he would allow her to go to another without putting up a fierce fight. Sooner or later your poor Roberto might have end up facing _Hyperion_…"

"I have to concede that young rascal has a perverse sense of humour by naming that pitch-black blade _Hyperion_!"

"Oh, it wasn't really him who named it. It was Cid Kramer who gave _Hyperion_ to Seifer."

"–_Humph!_– Hard to believe such a weakling would such a blade in his possession."

"Indeed, Alistair, I'm surprised to hear you say that. You of all people should know better…"

"Indeed, my dear… Indeed."

§ § §

_ECBI – 9th Division_  
**Esthar City's Bureau of Investigation**  
D-Files: 569 cases unresolved

…Begin scrolling…

File: EZTH345-xt789.d

-Surname: Torgus  
-Name: Adama  
-Eye colour: dk brown  
-Hair: black w/red streaks  
-Distinctive feature: eyebrow ring and various body tattoos of white snakes  
-Cmmt: last seen by witnesses at entrance to S-107

File: EZTH897-ds094.d

-Surname: Calligostro  
-Name: Todorov  
-Eye colour: black  
-Hair: dk brown  
-Distinctive feature: none  
-Cmmt: found broken parole-tracking device in S-107 near the border to S-108

File: FGXP003-ds116.d

-Surname: Karamazov  
-Name: Jasper  
-Eye colour: blue  
-Hair: blond  
-Distinctive feature: wire rimless glasses.  
-Cmmt: found broken parole-tracking device in S-107, near the border with S-108

…Scrolling…

"Holy shit! 569 unresolved disappearances! What the hell is goin' on?"

"You're new here, ain't ya, rookie? –Stop scroll."

…Scrolling stopped…

"Uh, yeah…This is my first assignment! These numbers gotta be staggering even for you, ma'am!"

"–_Smirk_– You got that right, rookie! An' don't 'ma'am' me! It really pisses me off!"

"Yes, ma'am…er…sir!"

"Good, you're learning! …Unless you like gettin' your ass whipped!"

"No, sir!"

"Hmn…C'mon, junior, we're gonna have us a little field trip. –_Grimace– _And those numbers only apply to Esthar City alone…"

"What?! I thought they were Esthar wide!"

"How d'ya think you got yourself such a cool assignment, rookie? We're seriously understaffed aroun' here!"

–_Gape_– (_Mouth wide open_)

"Yeah…Better close it, junior! Here! –_Toss_– Don't let it slip pass your fingers. It contains real sensitive information you don't wanna get scrambled just 'cuz you were too clumsy with yer hands! C'mon, let's go!"

"Where are we heading, sir?"

"Temple of Zarûthra in S-107… I gotta bunch of questions I need to ask some of the 'enlightened ones'…"

–_SLAM!_-

"**_To prevent future system malfunction,_**  
_**please refrain from slamming the door**_  
**_Detective Elektra Desu…"_**

"Yo, Desu! Are you abusin' yer door again?"

"Kiss my ass, Kinoseki!"

"Awww, Desu! What else is there left fer me here?! You refuse to introduce me to that hot cuz of yours, Kiara!"

"Yeah, Desu! Kinoseki here's a loser, but c'mon, I am definitely a great catch for that cousin of yours!"

"Shuddup, Bouretti! You're a sleaze-ball As if someone as classy as Miss Kiara would fall for the likes of you!"

"Boys, boys! Down! You, Rookie! Stop gaping at those two losers an' follow me!"

"Awww, Desu! You're one cruel woman…"

"Uh… Yessir!"

…

"Yo, Bouretti! You think this rookie will fare better than the others?"

"Huh? Who knows? This one looks smarter than the rest…"

"Yeah…"

§ § §

**CARPE DIEM **WATCHES  
No Time Like Present Time!   
21.12.01 AU  
_The time is _23:32:11,44

From: coolsniper  
Date: 21.12.01AU 22:10:28   
To: badassknight.almasy  
Subject: hey!

hey, man! like it sucks to work on your birthday, eh? found like a cool bar in B-city with real cute waitresses! we gotta go there when you return, cuz you gotta help me drag Commander SERIOUS there for a couple of drinks! Mebbe he´ll relax some!

Oh, yeah…Ma Dincht is like preparing a huge meal to celebrate! man, my stomach's like groaning already! that's gonna be some huge feast! haven't heard from zell yet…

See ya in like a couple of days.

btw, quisty's coming back with ya, right?

ps:

don't tell my selph about the cuties in the bar, ok? she's been feeling a bit insecure about me lately as she's all over me, acting kinda jealous-clingy! man, like what a pain! and oh yeah… sasha came over the other day looking for you! that's one determined chick! of course, no one told her your whereabouts, but man she was like so pushy! when she couldn't find you, she latched onto me! I mean, she's like cute an' everything, but not worth making selph angry at me! in any case, i think selph gotta trust me more! i love her and stuff, why would i want to hitch up with someone else?

pss:

man! what is it with chicks nowadays?

'_**Man! Irv's just asking to get whipped! …But I kinda like his idea of gettin' Squally totally plastered… Hehehe!'**_

- next –

From: cutechick  
Date: 21.12.01AU 19:29:01  
To: badassknight.almasy  
Subject: SEIFY, HB:wuv:wuv:wuv: 

–Image of a very large pink cake that looks about to explode–

I wish you a very, very, very, very, mega-super HAAAPPPYY BIIIIRTHDAAAY! With tons and tons of hugs and kisses!!!! It's a huge mega-bummer that you're not here today! Everyone's waiting for your return so we can celebrate your birthday properly! Mrs. Dincht said she's gonna bake you this humongous cake! She says you're probably not eating properly in Timber! lol (yeah…as if!) Oh, yeah, and Matron's gonna help her cook your birthday feast! …But…does Matron know how to cook?

'_**Man! Selph wasn't kidding with the pink cake shit! **–Snort– **MG…like you shouldn't have…all these pink blinkers are making me go fucking blind!'**_

Btw, do you know that Sasha Tavares came for a visit with her dad a couple of days ago? Apparently, Mr. Tavares had some business to conduct with Headmaster Cid, but Sasha was let loose over the place. Rina and I had to "show" her around, but she wasn't interested in anything "we girls" had to tell her! She only perked up when my Irvy showed up! I gotta say she's got some nerve! Hanging onto my Irvy, and right in front of me! I got mad at him too! He didn't have to look like he was liking it!

Oh, well, to cut a long story short: we had a fight, but made up since…

'_**Yeah…this Sasha chick is a gettin' to be a real pain in the ass!...'**_

Come back soon! Miss ya and Quisty! Zell too! (We haven't heard from him since that off-the-scale sandstorm in kk desert!)…

'_**Meh, Chicken-wuss can take care of himself… Wasn't that library chick, Susana somethin' also part of his team? She's almost as annoyingly smart as the instructor so at least there's gonna be some serious brains in that expedition…' **_

MG.

ps:

Could you have a man to man talk with my Irvy when you get here? I've been sooo busy with Festival committee stuff, that I haven't had the time to pay much attention to him, so he was sulking. But when I do pay him attention, he acts weird-like! What's with him? I hope he doesn't think that I'm still mad at him over that girl, Sasha Tavares… Humph! Even thinking about her gets on my nerves, coming on to my Irvy!!!!

'_**Man, this is becoming some sorta he-said, she-said shit!'**_

pss: btw, has Quisty come over to see you yet?

'–_Frown_– _**What the fuck is Selphie jabberin' about?! Does she even know that Quis an' I are in Timber? ** –Snort– **What the fuck can I be thinking? Of course she would…** –Sigh– **Whatever… I'm sure I'll find out soon enough… … Fuck! I'm beginning to sound like puberty boy…something's gotta be wrong with me! … Anyway, lemme read her highness…**_

…

- next –

From: galbadian.princess  
CC: squall.leonhart  
Date: 21.12.01AU 12:17:49  
To: badassknight.almasy  
Subject: Happy Birthday, Seifer! 

Hi, Seifer!

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY hug for you from Squall and me! (–humph– Squall's looking over my shoulder as I write this and snorted when I wrote the word "hug"…)

How's everyone? Tell Zone and Watts and the rest of the gang of "Forest Owls" that I say "hi!". Can't wait till you're back, birthday-boy! Mrs. Dincht and Matron are cooking up a storm!

Poor Mrs. Dincht, she really misses both "her boys" as she usually calls Zell and you! Personally, I think she's also a bit worried about Zell. He hasn't reported back yet, as he should have, but then there has been some huge sandstorms happening over the Kashkabald Desert, no doubt interfering with their communications equipment, so we have reassured her that Zell will be getting back at us as soon as he gets the chance!

'_**Hehehe! Chickenwuss gonna howl when he finds out we had a feast without him!"**_

Will reserve you a big hug when I see you.

(Squall's mumbling something about not to expect him to do the same. Really!)

'_**Yeah, Princess, like a hug from Squally's really gonna make my day!'**_

See you in a bit!

Rinoa (A BIG HUG from me! lol) and Squall

PS: I almost forgot to mention it, but Sasha came by looking for you. Selphie and I got charged to keep her company, but I have to say she was not very nice to us! The worst happened when she spotted Irvy… I guess she couldn't see you, so Irvine kinda took your place! Selphie got sooo mad! I was so surprised with Sasha's behaviour! I don't remember her being ever so mean!

- next –

From: raijin.cutegiant.kumo  
Date: 21.12.01AU 08:36:05  
To: badassknight.almasy  
Subject: HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

Seif, happy birthday, man, ya know? Fu didn't want me writing on hers, so here's mine! She can be so mean sometimes, ya know?

Nothing much happening around here. Yesterday I was on patrol and had to crack some heads, but nothing too exciting, ya know? Bwaah! Disciplinary committee work's not the same without you and Fu! (you know, I almost wrote down "ya know?" again, but Fu's been telling me that it's bad enough I use it so much when I speak, so she wants me not to use it when I write…but it feels kinda funny not adding the "ya know?", you know?)

The headmaster has assigned a couple of assistants to help me patrol the hallways, but it's not the same… I kinda get frustrated when they 'sir' me too much…and man, do they like to follow ALL the rules! We had some real fun times together Seif!

Can't wait for you to come back! Ma Dincht is gonna make one of her famous meals!

OUCH!

Fu just came in and read what I wrote…

See you back, Seif!

PS:

Does Fu still contact you at your official acct? Man, she can be so picky-strict sometimes! Me, I kinda like the name Selphie gave me, ya know? I dunno why she dislikes hers so much, ya know? What's wrong with posse.girl-fu? I think its kinda cute, ya know?

' –_Chuckle–** …Heh! Raij just asking for his ass to get kicked! Man, will he ever fucking learn?! … Nah… I think that big ox likes it when Fu kicks him. Go figure…'**_

– next –

From: fujin.naosu  
Date: 21.12.01AU 07:58:30  
To: seifer.almasy  
Subject: HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

Seifer.

Happy Birthday!

Sorry, I can't really bring myself to write a profuse greeting, although I'm sure others will already have done so. Did you meet Tahera? She mentioned to me that she might be attending the CTF's fundraising gala, so I told her you would be there. I don't know why I bothered, as she seems to know these things before anyone else does…

Raijin and I are due for a visit to my parents next month (you know why), and it's nice to have Tahera's support. However, in spite of everything Raijin is still extremely nervous about it, but I told that fool not to worry. The only consent he really needs is mine! And I have already agreed! He makes me so mad sometimes! It's not like this is the first time he's met them! He should know by now what a bunch of phoney snobs the rest of my family happens to be!

Councilman Tavares was here a few days ago to negotiate some kind of protection arrangement with us, but unfortunately he also brought his daughter, Sasha, who as usual made a big nuisance of herself. I'm sure Selphie already told you everything, so I won't bother.

'_**That's Fu for ya! Straight an' to the point… Just like Tahera. Hmmn, she seemed kinda cosy-like with that old man… '**_

See you home.

FUJIN

– next –

'_**Wow, an email from Matron! 'S up? She usually calls me…'**_

From: matron  
Date: 21.12.01AU 06:23:44  
To: seifer.almasy  
Subject: Best Wishes 

My child, just wanted to drop a quick line to tell you that the Headmaster and I wish you a very, very, very Happy Birthday!

Weren't you surprised to receive a message from me this way?

'_**Hell, yes!'**_

Well, Selphie very patiently sat down with me, and taught me all the basics! I know you would be extremely busy today, so I refrained from calling your unit. I tried to get Hazel to learn with me as well, but she refused by saying that calling was more than enough for her! Oh, by the way, she sends her love…

'**_Hah! Ma Dincht hates anything related to machines… Maybe that's why Chicken-wuss is quite good with… Fuck! I can't believe I'm thinking what I'm thinking! I_ am_ becoming a sissy!' _**

…and says to tell you she's making all your favourite dishes! Why is it that you never told me you liked grilled Balamb fish?...

'**_Matron you gotta be kiddin' me? You_ are_, right? Remember the sorceress, knight thing?...'_**

…Anyways, I told Hazel I would be also making some of your other favourite dishes…

–_Groan_**–_' Ah, shit! I'm so fuckin' dead! I hope they're not gonna ask me to judge…'_**

…that I remembered you liked as a child.

I'm sure everyone told you that we're planning something very nice for you, so please come home as soon you are both finished there! Send Quistis my love.

A big hug,

Matron and Cid

…

"Save messages and Logoff"

…Saving…

…Logging off…

The people that didn't know Seifer Almasy well would've been shocked to catch an almost boyish smile hovering over his lips. Silently shaking his head as he recalled some of the messages, he concluded that they were actually using his birthday as an excuse to pig out and party. He felt a bit uneasy about the cookout between Matron and Ma, but decided not to worry about it… **_'Raij's gonna be there, so I'm sure the food won't get wasted…'_** It would be good to see everyone. The few hours they spent at Nida's wedding didn't count. This time around they had _real_ holidays, and would be spending some quality time in Balamb. Even that ass Laguna had invited himself to spend New Year over, as Ma Dincht's guest…

'**_After all the shit I'd had to put up with these past few days, I fucking _deserve_ a trophy!' _**Trepe was a little slave driver, but he didn't mind the hard work. No. What he hated was all the fucking schmoozing! He refused to have any part in it. He also hated watching Quistis at it. It pissed him off big time, and she knew it. From time to time, she would flash him one of her little challenging looks, as if daring him to explode, but he never did. No matter the provocation, he always managed to keep his temper under control. Humph! One point in his favour.

Moreover, observing Quistis in action had proven to be a very interesting exercise. Oh, he'd seen her interact enough in Esthar, but most of the personnel there were either military or used to the military. In other words, the people at Lunatic Pandora or the Esthar Garden Project were used to authority and hierarchy. No matter how complex or difficult the problem, or large in scope, these people understood military code. And Quistis occupied one of the top commands, which meant that in the worse case scenario, she could just make it an order, and it would get done anyway.

On the other hand, the sort of discussion ongoing in Timber was outside the strictures of the military, and a completely new territory to him. Here, everyone was on an equal footing, and the only way to get any results was in negotiation. His appreciation of Trepe's abilities went up several notches, as he observed her parley her way through with a bunch of wily old politicians. She even had that old fart Esmond Jones, the head honcho of the anti-garden faction, eating right out of her hand.

Him? He'd lost count of the times he'd wanted to slice someone through with _Hyperion_, but had somehow contained himself (he'd figured that Quistis would not be very happy with him if he chose that route to get his point across…). Maybe he should've paid more attention to what she was saying in class back in the old days, but he'd been more interested in staring at that nicely rounded ass of hers as it swayed around the classroom. In any case, it was never too late to learn. Watching Trepe in action these past few days had been more productive for him than any amount spent inside a stuffy classroom!

The way he figured it, Timber stood more to lose if they did not sign up with B-Garden. Their own forces were in terrible shape, and they not only lacked suitable training facilities, they lacked qualified trainers! On top of everything, they were also in dire need of some kind of security measure to protect the population in case of a sudden monster influx. The Pandora Lunatic Project was progressing very nicely, but from that to its completion… Timber might be overrun by monsters before any of the planned controls were in place! After assessing the situation, he concluded that they were like sitting ducks. That Wendigo attack at Odel Lake was just the tip of the iceberg!

Seifer frowned. After Ultimecia's defeat, the monsters had been multiplying like crazy, and the worst part of it all was that they were also getting stronger! Did that bitch act as some sort of monster growth inhibitor? The idea got discarded as quickly as it came under the label of "too-nuts-to-be-even-considered." At least that little moron Zone, as much as he disliked to admit it, realized that FRT was going to be facing a huge crisis if they didn't do something about it, and soon. Both Quis and himself had been working their ass off to convince both Upper and Lower Houses to back the agreement Zone had drafted with B-Garden. Commander Puberty was probably rolling on the floor now, laughing his head off! Man, how he hated all the fucking paperwork! How did Squall put up with all this shit day-in day-out?

The only good thing resulting from their punishing schedule, was that there had been no free time for anything! Not for him, and _specially_ not for the instructor, being the sort of dedicated person that she was… Early to rise, late to bed as she made him and herself go through endless dossiers over and over again. He didn't it mind at all. The more he had her to himself, the less time she got to spend with that moronic boyfriend of hers. As it was, the only time those two got to see each other was during the endless rounds of meetings –_Smirk_– with him present…

True. He'd decided to "tolerate" the present situation (He had no fucking choice – It _was_ Quistis' decision…). But… he'd be damned if he was going to make things easy for them! Besides, he needed to stay close to Trepe, and keep all those dogs sniffing after her away. They still had not been able to determine the identity of their shadowy attackers, nor of the hooded figure who seemed to be in control of them. He'd been torn between wanting to be on the team the Headmaster had sent to Centra upon their return of the mission, and guarding a comatose Quistis. In the end, it was no choice at all. **_'At least they sent Priya Dephta, she's pretty good in this sort of reconnaissance missions.'_** But they had returned empty handed. The bastards had completely cleared the area.

He knew Squall and the Headmaster were doing their best… but he had a very bad feeling about the whole thing. Hopefully, Zell's venture into Kashkabald Desert might throw some light into the whole mess, **_'Humph! Who'd think that I'd end up relying on Chickenwuss of all people!'_** He knew for sure that it would've never crossed the mind of his younger self two years ago… **_'Dammit! I have a very bad feeling 'bout this whole fucking business…'_ **He felt Tiamat's faint stirring, **_'Yeah… I don't like it either. They were not random attacks.' _**

It was the main reason why he'd insisted they both be allowed to carry their weapons. He knew Quistis could probably get away with concealing hers, but there was no way he could camouflage _Hyperion_, specially after it was remodified by Johan…

…

"_That's a very interesting blade you've got there, Seifer… Mind if I take a look?"_

"_I thought your specialty was aeronautics."_

"_Yeah, but from time to time I like to tinker with gunblades."_

"_You're fucking kiddin'!"_

"_No, as a matter of fact, I'm not. I'm even quite adept with one. –_Smirk_– Of course, not up to your standards, Almasy." _

"_Heh, shall we put your skill to the test?"_

"_With pleasure."_

…

In the end, Johan proved to be exactly as he claimed. His skill with the gunblade was quite good, but where he proved to be unparalleled was in his knowledge of this weapon class. He even admitted to being a contributor to _Weapon's Monthly_ Gunblade section!

…

"_Seifer, did you know that the kurogane which makes up _Hyperion_'s blade is extremely rare?"_

"_Huh? Kurogane?"_

"_That's the name of the black alloy from which your blade has been forged. It's partly Adamantine and partly some other very strange substance…"_

"_Fuck if I do! All I need to know is that I can slice through tough Ruby Dragon skin!"_

"_Hmmn…after examining your weapon, I think I can improve it… specially now that you are in synch with Tiamat…"_

"_Explain."_

"_Because of the nature of the strange alloy that makes up your blade, and in part the gun as well… I think I can modify your weapon in such a way that when you junction Tiamat, _Hyperion _will also benefit from it."_

"…"

"_Well? What do you say? It's all in theory, however…"_

"_Hell, Tiamat approves! Let's go for it!"_

" –Snort_– No one can say you're fainthearted, Seifer."_

"_Fuck, I'll agree to anything that can increase my power."_

"_There are some risks involved…"_

"_So be it. –_Smirk_– Where would the fun be otherwise?"_

"_You've been warned, Almasy."_

In the end, Johan's tinkering had paid off big time. The enhanced weapon had allowed him to fence off the attacks of those shadow warriors. All those long hours of hard training to get used to _Hyperion_'s new weight, had been worth the trouble. However, he was realistic enough to know that had the fight continued, no amount of enhancement would've been enough. It was two against an enemy that could not be stricken down… It made him very uneasy to think that they were being toyed with. And Quistis. After every confrontation she would end up being strangely drained. Not battle tired, not hurt, just seriously drained. **_'I don't fucking like it!'_** But they would be ready for the next attack.

He'd been surprised at how easy it'd been to secure Zone's approval for keeping their weapons. **_'I guess people expect SeeD members to be always armed…'_** He didn't give a shit about the reason, as long as he was able to keep _Hyperion_. He'd even gone over all the security arrangements with Watts, not only for the talks but also for the reception tonight.**_ 'Fuck, these people have shitty security!' _**After looking at the plans, he'd made Watts re-deploy everything. It would not be the first time he'd wished to have some of his own people here…

_BONG! BONG!_

'**_The time now is 00:00:00,01_**  
_**22.12.01 AU  
Remember: No Time Like Present Time!**_  
**_Get a CARPE DIEM WATCH!'_**

_Humph_…He looked at the huge clock with its annoyingly flashy display, and realized that he was officially as of now, 20 years old. No wiser. No better. Just fucking older. Big Deal. Today was just the fucking same as yesterday. With his back against the balcony rail, Seifer leaned against it using his elbows as props, and stared up into the starry sky. He was twenty now and finally a SeeD, but he was nowhere near his real heart's desire…

Frowning slightly, he wondered what kind of relationship would Quistis be getting with a major wuss like Zone. He hadn't really expected a lovey-dovey kind of relationship, as this was Trepe after all… He wondered if that little shit had to ask Trepe for permission before kissing her, then scowled ferociously at an innocent shooting star streaking across the night sky. Thinking about that moron's lips on Quis' really pissed him off!

Swearing profusely under his breath, but unable to stop the train of his thoughts, Seifer wondered if Quistis would respond to that little shithead's kiss in the same way she did to his… **_'What the FUCK am I doing? I don't wanna know!' _ **Angry at himself, he left the balcony and plonked down on his bed with a heavy thud. However, he was not able to block the images that came to his mind… **_'Fucking great! It's my birthday and the only thing that'll make me happy is the idea of hurting that pansy-pants Zone!'_** …In spite of himself he almost laughed out loud. At least he hadn't lost his sense of humour…

He'd expected Zone to try and spend some quality time with Trepe during the reception tonight, but he'd been the one to score. Seifer stared up into the ceiling fan, and smirked at the memory. Another point for him…

…

_Quistis had plastered a very false smile on her face as she made up an excuse, and forcibly dragged him into a secluded corner, away from prying eyes _and_ ears. He allowed himself to be pulled, unsurprised to see her place her fisted hands akimbo on her hips while glaring furiously at him. He kept the smirk on his face, knowing very well that it would made her even more mad at him…_

"_Seifer! Why are you being so difficult tonight?!" _

"_Why, Instructor! I'm hurt! I've been at my best behaviour!"_

"_Oooh! You…you dumbass!"_

_He'd raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. He hadn't been able to resist._

"_Tsk, tsk, Instructor! Such language!"_

"_Don't you dare give me that! Do you know **who**__it was that you were so rude to a few minutes ago?"_

_He knew. But he had still wanted to knock the teeth off that dweeb's leering face._

"_No. And I don't give a fuck either, Instructor."_

"_You were rude to Minister Stanley Cole! Garden's ally and leader of the Upper House!"_

"_That sleazebag just wanted to get into your pants, Trepe."_

_The little bastard was lucky he had contained himself from running him though with _Hyperion_. Of course the Instructor would not see it his way. When did she ever?_

"_Do I need to pull rank on you here, **Squad Leader**?!"_

_Seifer stared into those flashing blue eyes, and refrained himself from acting on his first impulse. Instead, he deliberately shrugged his shoulders with studied nonchalance and said. _

"_Meh, he'll get over it after a minor confrontation with another Wendigo makes him realize they need us more than we nee…"_

…

_knock! KNOCK!_

"Seifer, it's me."

He recognized the voice immediately. Getting up, he went to get the door. After he swung it open, he was unsurprised to see Quistis standing outside.

"Uh, may I come in?"

He raised an eyebrow, but silently stepped aside to allow enough space for her to enter. She hesitated briefly at the doorway, as she stared up into his face, before entering his room. She held a rather large squarish box in her hands, with the words "CyGaramond" etched in very fancy silver lettering on the cover. Holding it out to him, she smiled shyly and said.

"This is from all of us. Happy Birthday, Seifer!"

This time, he _was _surprised. Very surprised. His hands came out automatically to receive the gift, but his eyes were on Quistis' face. She blushed slightly, flustered by his perusal, before saying.

"Open it."

He placed the box on a table.

"I-I hope you like it. Sorry it's not wrapped, but it's been really crazy…"

"Quistis."

"Selph recommended a store, and Sis helped me choo…"

"Quistis."

She finally realized he was calling her by her name. It was a rare occurrence, rare enough to make her stare at him.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Instructor?"

Frowning blue eyes stared into inscrutable green ones. Somehow relieved and annoyed at the same time that he'd reverted to his usual way of addressing her…

"What did I forget?"

"This."

Swiftly closing the distance between them, Seifer lifted her chin and without allowing her any time to think, seized her lips rather roughly. Lips that were both forceful and cajoling at the same time. Lips that burned their way through days, weeks and months of self-control and denial.

§ § §

I am the most grotesque

I am the most beautiful

_The transience of mortality is meaningless to one such as myself. Even those who follow and serve me are subject to laws forged by other gods. As their followers will be subject to mine. It is befitting._

_(Master, the initiates are ready for the ceremony)_

_(Very well, take them to the Chamber of Subjugation)_

_(We have four Candidates…)_

_(But?)_

_(Only one is gifted in the Arts)_

My existence is all encompassing

My being is unfathomable

_Mortals will do anything to avoid that which they fear the most. For many, this means death. Such a triviality. It is easy to prey upon their terror in order to gain their compliance…  
_

_(Dispose of the weaker three, and only have the one Candidate before the Chalice)_

_(Master, the experience might prove to be too much for the Candidate)_

_(So be it. Let that be a true measure of the Candidate's ability)_

I am the most loathed

I am the most beloved

_Those who fear the unknown stand to lose the most, for they will desperately seek the counsel of false gods who care nothing for them. And yet every act they do to avoid me only serves to bring them closer to me. Mortals are such fools._

_(I object!)_

_(Master?)_

_(Ignore the objections of Master Ji, Caster, and proceed as ordered)_

_(Yes, Master)_

_(The others should be tested as well!)_

_(Master Ji, you are as well acquainted with the covenant as I am. No exceptions were made with my own child when her candidacy was submitted, therefore no exceptions can be made for yours)_

_(You bastard! I suppose you feel very smug with yourself when Sasha became an Initiate with flying colours!)_

_(I am a top level Master Caster, and presently the Overseer of Candidates. Something you should take care to consider before uttering such nonsense)_

_(Your own daughter was presented alongside three other Candidates!)_

_(All of whom were gifted in the Arts, unlike this present batch)_

_(Why is it that only she managed to pull through, while the other three became drained?)_

_(You were the Overseer at the time, Master Ji. Surely you can answer that question better than I can)_

_(I wouldn't put it past you to cheat!)_

_(I am not the one who failed. You should have known that drafting the children of four prominent families, all from the same place would draw attention)_

_(Fool! They were all gifted!)_

_(I had to personally go and retrieve the Initiate due to your own ineptitude…)_

_(There shall be no bickering among Masters)_

_(My apologies, Great Doma)_

_(Pardon me, Great One)_

_(Very well, Master Ai, please go and insure that Candidate is ready for the rite of passage, should he survive the Chalice)_

_(As you wish, Great One)_

_(Master Ji, come with me)_

_(Y-yes, Great Doma)_

_(It displeases me that you seek to bicker with Master Xi)_

_(Great Doma, I-I was the one prov…)_

_(You have already been forgiven once, since your mistake gave us a blue witch. However, do not slip again)_

_(Y-yes, Great Doma)_

…

Darkness and light

They all become I

…

_(What is it, my disciple)_

_(Please forgive my daring, Great One, but...)_

_(Yes?)_

_(Thanks to Master Ji's fumbling we have found two, why are we holding off?)_

_(We need all Seven)_

_(Why not secure the two we know?)_

_(All in due time, my loyal assistant... All in due time... Our ancestors failed in the first awakening, because they were impatient. Did not read the signs correctly. We shall not fail, because we are patient. We know how to lie in wait)_

_The wheels of fate are in motion. I will be free. As I should be. As I have to be._

I am Everything

Everything is I

§ § §

To be continued…


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